The Game
by Arigatomina
Summary: Yaoi, 1x2, crossovers. To discover the secret behind a mysterious game, Heero and Duo embark on a whirlwind adventure that leads to friendship, intrigue, and love. Current: Fushigi Yuugi miniarc.
1. A chance meeting

**_Author's Notes:_** I started this fic for a 1x2 GW fic contest, but I missed the deadline. This is a very long fic, with a number of 'mini' crossovers geared to advance the 1x2 pairing. The namesake 'game' is modeled after the Greed Island story in the HunterxHunter manga, and a mix of the FF role playing game layouts. There will be some _very minor_ pairings, but you shouldn't need to know any of the other anime in order to follow the story. It's told almost entirely from Duo and Heero's perspective (not first person, just focused on them). The story starts as a timeline-what-timeline and grows into something more alternate universe.

Credit and thanks go to my first and only beta reader, Kat, who had the patience to put up with my very irregular updates.

**_Summary:_** To discover the secret behind a mysterious game, Heero and Duo embark on a whirlwind adventure that leads to friendship, intrigue, and love.

_Category:_ Anime, Gundam Wing, Yaoi, Timeline-What-Timeline  
_Pairings:_ will be 1x2  
**_Warnings:_** light shonen ai  
_Author:_ Arigatomina  
_Email:_ arigatoumina (a) hotmail . com  
_Website:_ www . geocities . com / arigatomina

**The Game**

_Part 1: "A chance meeting"_

The screening for contestants was held at a remote satellite off colony NU-695, one of the lesser used facilities destined to be cannibalized once the Alliance decided what they wanted to do with the area. Whoever currently held rights to the satellite had covered his tracks quite well, with enough secondary corporations listed to keep any snoop busy for years. Like the rest of the newcomers, Duo didn't have years to spend looking for the person behind the project. He was satisfied knowing that the United Earth Sphere Alliance gave their dismissive approval. If they weren't the least bit curious, he doubted the project was anything too dangerous – or potentially rewarding. One thing he'd give the new alliance, they were as ambitious as their old figurehead had been. Relena wasn't one to let opportunities pass her by, no more than she'd allow potentially threatening technology to be studied by an unidentified group.

Rumors of that technology had caught Duo's attention a few weeks back. He'd been prowling the cybernetic airwaves between colonies and had picked up a transmission discussing '_The Game_.' The cryptic language might have sparked his interest, if the capitalization hadn't done so already. In the correspondence following that first transmission, the project was continually referred to only as _The Game_. Nowhere did he find anything to tell him what sort of 'game' they were talking about, or why it had no proper name. He'd tapped into a communiqué between the project leader – someone located on this very satellite – and a mixed group of Preventor rejects and retired soldiers. Whatever rumors surrounded the game, they seemed to have been kept within military circles. That made it interesting to a retired Gundam pilot with too much free time on his hands. Duo had signed up for the first screening.

Despite how dirty the project appeared, with all the cloak and dagger secrecy, Duo hadn't bothered to use an alias. He had a suspicion it was either funded by some low key military intelligence group – which would explain how uninterested the Alliance had appeared to be in it – or it was the brainchild of an entrepreneur with more money than he knew what to do with. Whichever were the case, the backers had welcomed a former Gundam pilot into the fold much quicker than they would have if he'd forged some military record for himself.

It was his age that had struck the interviewer, a forty-something man with charcoal circles under his eyes and a perpetually bored expression glued to his face. He'd taken one look at Duo and signed the form for his participation, muttering that it was about time and that games were designed for young people, not overeager soldiers. Duo had simply flashed a winsome smile and held his tongue. The last thing he wanted was to ask the wrong question and be barred from even competing.

The competition was the so-called 'screening' they were taking part in now, a series of tests and simulations designed to identify those best qualified for the project. Again, the cryptic language fueled Duo's curiosity. He'd listened to the talk among the men on the shuttle, all of whom had been a good ten years his senior, and most of whom had chosen not to even look at him aside from raising an eyebrow when he first boarded. They'd filled the passenger section with a mix of boasts and speculations. The main consensus was that _The Game_ was really a training program, and that they were the test pilots to help the designers work out the kinks before sending it off to the military. Duo dismissed that notion as soon as he heard it. No one would test a military program on an open group of volunteers whose absences would be noticed if anything were to happen to them.

His guess was far more mundane, but, in his opinion, more likely. _The Game_ really was a game, some advanced computer game, probably a virtual reality program designed to appeal to young adults. If so, then there was the possibility of some later version of the game being sold to military groups for training soldiers. But the main income would be from average citizens eager for a virtual adventure. Duo had noticed that the gaming community – formerly an underground group of teens – had become widespread enough that games were getting much more advanced. He'd even seen a recent game that simulated a mobile suit so well he might have believed it were real…if he hadn't spent years piloting one. As far as economics were concerned, there was money to be had in the gaming industry. A lot of money. Enough money to fund a hushed project like this.

The shuttle docked in a dingy hangar that looked its age, with dark shadows marring the walls where someone had already done a bit of cannibalizing. Four men in boring black and brown suits met them and escorted the group out of the hangar. Duo trailed behind the older men, who seemed quite excited and nervous now that they were on the 'ground'. He let a little amused smirk come to his lips, enjoying how the former officers attempted to look restrained and official. He could just imagine them playing a game, shoulders stiff, eyes wide and alert, mechanically shooting virtual targets and obeying every order handed down to them.

They were led down a sterile gray hall lined with dull yellow light panels along the ceiling, chipped dark material that might once have been a rubber walkway spotting the floor. As Hilde was fond of saying, the satellite was a sty, an abandoned, gutted, sty. Duo had seen toys with better seals than some of the doors they passed. He could only hope the satellite didn't suffer from a breach during his stay – those seals couldn't keep out water, let alone keep in oxygen.

Voices sounded down the hall as they moved deeper into the satellite, and the surroundings changed accordingly. The lights overhead grew whiter, with only a few sickly flickers of moldy yellow to show their age. Duo noticed that the air was fresher as well – points for something in the place, at least they had running filters installed.

He eased closer to the group, vaguely annoyed that he hadn't yet hit a growth spurt that would let him see over the men's shoulders to the room ahead. From the murmurs he knew it was either a meeting hall filled with other potential candidates, or a cafeteria filled with the same people. As many transmissions as he'd listened in on, he knew there were more than fifty people determined to go through the screening trials. He'd hoped to get there ahead of the rest, but last minute delays had landed him on the final shuttle. Now he'd get only a day to judge the competition before the tests began.

Duo wasn't particularly worried about competing against former soldiers, and he didn't think he would be terribly disappointed if he didn't pass the trials. He was there mainly for the distraction, and to settle his curiosity about the game. But, as it always was for him, competition was competition. If he were pitted against the men he'd flown in with, he'd take no small pleasure in wiping their noses in his virtual dust. He wasn't about to be shown up by old men, some of whom he'd probably fought in real battle as a Gundam pilot. The participants weren't just rejected Preventors. There were former OZ soldiers as well as a few names he'd recognized from the White Fang faction. It was unnerving to think he'd be 'playing' with people who'd once tried to kill him. It was also a little amusing that none of them had any idea who he was.

One of the four guides began speaking to his group, the words making it over the murmurs coming from the room beyond. Duo gave up lagging behind and slipped along the wall. He ducked behind a surprisingly robust man with a quirky mustache, and popped up in the front. His sudden appearance surprised the heavyset man, who gave a girly jump that nearly had Duo choking back laughter. The dark-haired guide, another racoon-eyed man who looked like he hadn't slept in years, paused for a brief frown at Duo. Then he took a breath, rocked his shoulders back, and began speaking again.

"As you may have noticed," said the man, "this satellite was not designed to house so many people. We've turned the cafeteria into an all purpose room for the duration of your stay. There are bathing and restroom facilities in the left corridor, with an informal laundry system in place. Due to the cramped conditions, we require daily bathing. Any complaints will be met with immediate dismissal back to NU-695. Meals are available by the hour in the south side of the hall. There will be a noise ordinance in place once the testing begins. Any confrontation outside the simulations will be met with dismissal. I know it's cramped, it'll get hot in the simulation rooms, and you will be cold in the hall. There is nothing we can do for this. As you are all from strict backgrounds, you should be able to handle the arrangements."

The men answered those warnings with sharp nods, a few sticking their chins up, one or two actually twitching at the fingertips as they fought the need to salute. Duo choked back a snort of laughter and turned his face toward the wall to hide his amused expression. They were soldiers, all right.

"You're now dismissed," the man droned. "The trials will begin in ten hours. I suggest you sleep at least 8 hours before and after each day of trials. If there are any questions, they'll have to wait until we separate you into groups at the beginning of the first trial. Most of your questions won't be answered, so I recommend you save your breath and concentrate on the tests."

With that, the man stalked toward the group, the former soldiers parting to make way for him and the other three suits. Duo watched their guides head back the way they'd come. Then he turned his attention on the room that was giving all those murmurs. He immediately groaned aloud, not caring that the uptight soldiers sniffed at him for doing so.

The main 'hall' really had been turned into an all purpose room. Straight ahead of them, the 'south' side, was lined with food items, all prepackaged and easily heated in the little machines stacked on the shelved tables. That 'dining area' accounted for one wall of the room. The others were covered with cots small enough to give even a former pilot claustrophobic fears. A few men appeared to have made their beds on the floor, their blankets spread out so they spotted the room like stoic picnic-goers. And, just as Duo had suspected, there were at least forty men in there, easily adding up to more than fifty once his group joined the masses.

"Oh, joy," Duo breathed, still ignoring the affronted men standing behind him.

He shoved away from the wall and stalked into the room, his eyes flicking from one stranger to the next. His gait was a little showy, just cocky enough to show he wasn't intimidated, but not confrontational enough to get him tossed out before the trials even started. It was a bit of psychological warfare he'd thought up while 'ignoring' the men he'd come in with. Let the former soldiers think he was some cocky kid, and they'd be all the more humiliated when he got down to business. He thought it was a workable game plan.

Those picnic-style beds were separated enough that he easily picked his steps through them and directly toward the dining area. Ten hours with nothing to do? He'd find himself something bordering on edible and settle down on a cot to nibble and listen to the gossip. He really didn't like the idea of sleeping in a room full of former enemies. And it wasn't as if he hadn't gone for days without sleep in the past. Lack of sleep hadn't kept him and his friends from winning a war, so he seriously doubted it would hurt his performance in some virtual tests.

The food was every bit as abysmal as he'd suspected. His gaze shifted sadly over the processed bars that were a soldier's idea of junk food, wrapped sandwiches waiting to be heated into a mushy paste, pasta and meat mixes that appeared to have already been eaten…twice, and covered salads that were curling brown at the tips despite the cool air wafting over them. Duo hadn't thought to ask how long the trials would last. Now he wondered if they were really expected to survive on what would have sickened vending machine addicts back on Earth.

"This sucks," Duo muttered.

"You still talk to yourself…"

The tone was laced with faint surprise, a hint of hesitance. But the voice was achingly familiar. Duo's eyes widened slowly, a smile twitching the corner of his lips as he forced himself not to whip around and grin.

"Yeah," Duo drawled, "but only when you're around. I don't really have to talk aloud to talk to myself, you know."

"What did you do to your hair?" asked Heero, his tone muting till it was as casual as Duo's had been.

Duo turned at that, raising an eyebrow as if it hadn't been a year since he'd last seen the boy. "What makes you think I did anything to it? It's still long enough to get me in trouble."

"It hasn't grown an inch," Heero frowned. "That's not normal."

"Like you would know anything about normal."

A restrained smirk spread over Duo's face, hiding his need to grin like crazy and maybe dance circles around his stoic comrade. Heero hadn't changed any more than he had. The boy was still his height, slender but compact in that impossibly 'Heero' way of his. If there were anything different, it would be that the boy's dark brown bangs were a little thicker. And he'd lost those golden brown highlights he'd gained during his extended stay on Earth, only a vaguely shimmering chestnut shadow remaining. He still looked healthy and severely focused, with that piercing blue stare he almost never lost. There was only a slight softening to the expression, a hint of confusion and surprise dancing around the corners of his eyes.

"What brings you here?" asked Duo. "Haven't seen you in what…a year? And you just happen to show up here. If I didn't know you don't believe in coincidences, I'd pass it off as some chance meeting. You haven't been stalking me, have you, Heero? You don't look surprised to see me…"

Duo turned his head a little so he could give his friend a sidelong, suspicious look. Heero snorted, his brows lowering in a resigned frown.

"I'm probably here for the same reason you are," said Heero. "To see this game."

Heero turned and shot a sharp look over the men milling closest to them. Once he was sure they weren't being spied on, he stepped closer to Duo and lowered his voice. "Did you tell them who you are when you applied to take part in this?"

Duo could almost hear the recriminations he'd get as he nodded. Sure enough, Heero scowled and looked away. He was probably biting his tongue and reminding himself that this wasn't a mission, and that they had no real reason to go undercover, and that lecturing Duo had never gotten him anywhere in the past and would only be a waste of time now. A minute passed before Heero sighed and glanced back to him.

"So did I," Heero admitted.

The unexpected response had Duo's shoulders slumping in exasperation. He had to remind himself that a year had passed without any war to engage his fellow pilot. It was unreasonable of him to expect Heero to be the same suspicious soldier he'd been before. Then again, old habits died hard. Heero's eyes were once again flicking over the room, alert and watchful as if he expected an attack.

After a moment of staring at one of the men, a young dark-haired one who smiled when he caught his gaze, Heero scowled and glanced toward the far wall. His expression was visibly uncomfortable as he folded his arms over his chest.

"Sit with me?" Heero asked suddenly, not looking at Duo. "We can share what we've learned so far."

And maybe catch up on old times? Duo gave a slow smile that was lost since Heero had his eyes averted. If nothing else came from his participation in these trials, at least he'd have a chance to talk to his old partner.

"Why, Heero," Duo whispered, his tone affronted, eyes very wide. "Are you inviting me to share your cot?"

Heero's shoulders twitched upward, and Duo was sure the boy's expression had just shifted into a scowl. He grinned and stepped around so he could catch the boy's eye. "I hear it gets cold in here…it's probably wise that we share body heat."

If anything, Heero appeared to have grown more stoic over the last year. His face twitched in annoyance for a long moment before he managed to raise a calm, slightly challenging expression. His dark blue eyes glinted on Duo, sharp and a tad amused.

"Following that logic," said Heero, "we'd do well to invite some of the others into a group pile for the combined heat."

"Oh, sure," Duo nodded amiably, "combined heat, and some old guy snoring in my ear. I'd rather freeze."

Heero led the way to the far wall, and Duo trailing him with a wide smirk. It was surprising how easily he'd gotten back in the habit of teasing his sometime partner. What had taken him months to figure out – how hard he could poke before Heero would snap, when Heero's sharp comments were actually attempts at humor, how to slip past the stoic defense and establish trust, and when it was best to back down so that Heero didn't reinforce his defenses – all of it seemed natural now. Of the friends Duo had made over the years, Heero had to be the most complicated. But the firmly established lines, boundaries, and rules, all made it more comforting to know that they could function as partners. Their differences meant it was never boring with Heero around.

There was a man sleeping three cots down from the two Heero stopped at. Duo sent the stranger a quick glance and wrinkled his nose. That one looked even older than the ones he'd flown in with. He was a wiry, partially balding creature who could have looked perfectly at home in front of a podium back on Earth, talking politics and scowling at the masses. Duo couldn't imagine someone like that playing any sort of game.

"You know," Duo said slowly, "I'm getting really biased against old people. You'd never guess I'm close to being one myself."

Heero sat down on the cot and glanced over at the man Duo was watching. He frowned, his expression suspicious. When the sleeping man didn't move, he turned back to look at Duo.

"You have to hit twenty before you can say you're close," said Heero. "And he isn't nearly as old as one of the men I rode in with. They've recruited men of all ages for this. There doesn't seem to be any limit on age or physique. With virtual tests, the physical strength won't matter."

Duo stretched his arms up in a blatant display of getting the kinks out. Then he flashed Heero a smug smile and perched beside him on the cot, instead of sitting across from him.

"I take it you don't think this is a game," said Duo. "The way I see it, even if these guys have good reflexes they aren't the sort to play games. The man who interviewed me let it slip that 'games are for young people' – so why are we the only ones here under twenty?"

"If it's a strategy game, age and experience make the difference. You also have to take into account the core of recruits. They interviewed only people with military backgrounds, ourselves included. Even White Fang didn't accept soldiers under seventeen, and most of the young ones they did accept died during the rebellion. That leaves a majority of middle-aged soldiers to choose from. I suspect that's one of the reasons they were interested in having us here."

"Fresh blood," Duo smirked. "And here I thought it was my superb piloting skills."

"That, too," said Heero. He didn't seem to notice the way Duo's face lit up with a slightly smug smile. "Once they knew who we were, they could check our skills through videos of the battles. They broadcasted the end of the last rebellion live, so they would have detailed proof of your skills in a mobile suit."

Duo nodded at that, his smug smile settling into a pleased one. It was always good for his ego to hear Heero praise his piloting skills, not because Duo needed praise, but because Heero was so stingy with compliments. They'd established early on that between them Heero was a much better soldier and Duo had far more creativity in unpredictable piloting. He'd never get tired of hearing how easily Heero handed him that compliment – it was a fact they'd agreed on, sure, but it was still a big compliment.

"And you've had the unwavering support of the Queen of the World, Vice Foreign Minister to the Colonies, and current Head of the United Earth Sphere Alliance," said Duo. "They wouldn't need to see proof of your skills. All they'd have to know is that you're the infamous 'Heero' Relena's been talking about for years."

Heero sighed and sent a slightly resentful look at Duo, who beamed back at him. "Most people assume she was speaking of the former Heero Yuy when she uses the name. Recently, he is the person she's talking about. If you've been keeping an eye on her broadcasts, you should know that."

There was something in the way Heero frowned at him that caught Duo's curiosity. Sure, he'd been teasing the boy – Relena had long been a great way to needle Heero, from her continual meddling in the first war and Heero's perpetual determination to get rid of her, to her excellent work as a peacekeeper afterward and Heero's begrudging assistance in that mission. Over the years they'd known each other, Duo had gone from insinuating the two were in _love_ – four o's in that croon – to tormenting Heero about the unsavory men Relena was associated with in her role as a politician. He'd come to expect a scowl, maybe a growled death threat, or even a bristling embarrassed glower. He couldn't remember seeing Heero look…hurt…by the teasing.

"Speaking of Relena," Duo said slowly, "I haven't heard from her in months. She sent a few letters to Hilde, but she didn't even contact me the last time she stopped by L2. How is she?"

Heero gave a noncommittal shrug and dropped his eyes. "There hasn't been as much resistance to the last few laws the Alliance passed. I assume she's content with her role in the push for reformation."

"You haven't heard from her, either?" asked Duo.

"I haven't stayed in one place very long."

Not that being mobile and underground had ever kept Relena from tracking him down in the past. Duo's expression softened into a sober look. He'd thought it was just him. Relena had kept in contact with them, all the Gundam pilots, for a few months after the last rebellion. Then the letters had slowed and eventually ceased. He'd taken it to mean she didn't need anything from him. They'd never been particularly close. But for her not to even try to contact Heero was unexpected. Sure, she had her own life, and a very busy life considering her role in politics, but this was Heero.

"Ah, well," said Duo, "she's probably up to her ears in negotiations. Seems everyone's busy these days, everyone but me. I'm here out of sheer boredom, honestly. I even thought about joining up with the Preventors for a while there, but Wufei didn't sound very encouraging when I mentioned it to him. Not even Quatre returns my calls, anymore. So here I am, joining up with a bunch of middle-aged men just on the off chance that this 'game' of theirs ends up being entertaining."

Heero had turned to look at him, and Duo flashed the boy a wistful smile. He pretended not to notice the flash of relief in his friend's eyes. Just as he'd thought, Heero hadn't heard from any of them since they went their separate ways after the rebellion. While Duo was slightly resentful – he'd been in one place, so Heero could have easily contacted him if he were lonely – he was also sympathetic. It was horrible feeling abandoned by your friends. And Heero hadn't even had Relena's well-meaning stalking to keep him connected to the old days.

"How about you?" Duo pressed. "What made you decide to join up?"

"The technology."

Duo smirked and patted a fond hand on Heero's head. He pulled his hand away before Heero could do more than glower at him.

"I figured that much," said Duo. "But was it curiosity about the game, or do you actually know something about the technology?"

Heero shrugged and folded his arms over his chest, his gaze shifting off to glance over the other men. "I don't know anything about it. That makes me suspicious."

"So you're here out of boredom, too," Duo grinned. "You're looking for enemies, conspiracies, and I'm looking for virtual adventure. It's great how boredom can bring people together."

Heero inclined his head, the closest he could come to agreeing with that sentiment. He didn't consider it boredom, but he knew his motivation had been partly due to his wanderings. He'd spent months looking for his past, anyone connected to Odin Lowe, anyone who might know who he'd been before he became a child assassin. It had seemed the logical thing to do after the fighting ended – find his origins, reconcile his past, and settle into a normal life like everyone else. The very idea made his brows jerk down in annoyance.

He'd tried. Searching the information was simple enough – hacking into databases on colonial birth records, travel information recorded from flights he remember having taken with Lowe, tourist records from colonies he knew he'd visited during their trips. He'd been very thorough, so when he found nothing for his efforts he'd been content that the information didn't exist. After that he'd considered his options, employment anywhere would have been easy enough, with his skills in both computers and machinery, and an option to work for any enforcement agency providing he admit to being a former pilot. Nothing had appealed to him. And contacting the others for advice was not an option. Aside from the Preventors, he hadn't heard from any of them. The last thing he'd wanted was to intrude on one of his friends, disrupt one of those normal lives.

He'd kept wandering, listening to rumors, learning new tricks from programming agencies that were experimenting with super computers. And that was when he'd heard about _The Game_, something all of the high tech agencies knew about without actually knowing anything. The very idea – that they'd know it existed without discovering its origin or purpose – had sparked in his mind as a potential threat, and a challenge to learn what no one seemed to know. Duo was right in a way…he hadn't been looking for an enemy, but he had been looking for a challenge.

"I didn't expect to see you here," said Heero.

That soft tint was still on Heero's face. Duo flashed a warm smile and put an arm over the boy's shoulders, squeezing playfully.

"Don't worry, you hid your surprise well," Duo smiled. "And I promise, if we end up competing in these tests, I won't beat you by too much. I know how fragile your ego is."

A moment passed in silence, then Heero snorted and shrugged off the arm. His eyes glinted with amusement. "Duo, you've never beaten me at anything except piloting, and you likely never will. If you want to promise something, promise you won't throw a fit when you lose."

"Hah, hah," Duo scoffed. "It took you long enough to think up that retort. I think you're getting a little slow. Take a nap. I'll take first watch and tip you off on the spryest guys out there. I bet you've been staring at them since you came in. You never were big on blinking."

Heero raised an eyebrow, his gaze shifting from Duo's mocking smirk, down to the cot they were sitting on. "Am I supposed to believe you'll actually stay awake? You sleep like the dead."

"Nonsense," said Duo. "If I doze off, I'll fall on you. Then you can knock me to the floor. That'll wake me right up. Worked every time in that boarding school."

A quick memory of dragging the braided boy out of a dorm bed ten minutes before class flashed through Heero's mind. He couldn't help the smirk that curved his lips. Duo really was a deep sleeper, but he was also right – falling out of bed seemed to be the most sure-fired way to wake him up.

Heero gave a shake of his head and conceded. He'd been waiting in the satellite for close to forty hours. That wasn't a long stretch for him, but given the unknown tasks waiting for them in nine hours, a little sleep couldn't hurt. He just hoped he didn't break a bone or two if Duo really did fall on him. Unlike his cheerful counterpart, Heero was a very light sleeper.

**.-.  
**_**TBC**_


	2. Healthy Competition

_Category:_ Anime, Gundam Wing, Yaoi, Timeline-What-Timeline, Alternate Universe  
**_Minor Anime (in this part):_** Trigun  
_Pairings:_ 1x2 main  
**_Warnings:_** very light shonen ai  
_Author: _Arigatomina  
_Email:_ arigatoumina (a) hotmail . com  
_Website:_ www . geocities . com / arigatomina

**The Game**

_Part 2: "Healthy competition"_

Explosions tinted the walls a glittering medley of gold, melonish amber, and sharp white, casting glints and blinding flashes off the participants' weapons and eyes. Shadowy figures darted about the ruins of a skyscraper that lay crumbled, impossibly, in the middle of a darkened jungle. Their deaths were met by those varying shades of light, bright explosions that cleared to reveal two more figures in the place of each destroyed target. It was a hydra concept which demanded faster reflexes and better aim with each second that passed. Despite their training, the participants were hard-pressed to maintain any sort of accuracy.

Duo grimaced, his eyes squinting against the epileptic light show that made it difficult to see his weapon, let alone to aim it properly. The targets, computer animated soldiers in identical camouflaged outfits, were like nothing more than a swarm of insects crawling over each other as if they planned to erupt out of the screen and swarm the men still firing on them. Despite his determination not to fall too far behind Heero, Duo was finding it harder to ignore how creepy and futile the simulation was.

The trial had started with flying discs that bounced around the screen. Five participants stood in front of the large screen that covered the back wall of the darkened room. They were separated from their 'targets' by fifteen feet. The real distance came in the simulation itself, with the discs flying close to the screen one moment and so far they were vague dots the next. Their scores were recorded by the metal 'guns' they had for weapons, like the old laser games in the pre-colonial days. Each gun signaled a different color burst when it struck a target, and the scores were calculated by the computer. They wouldn't know how well they'd done until the day's trials were concluded.

Duo's weapon was a very large silver handgun with an overly narrow barrel and a slender eye at the tip for targeting. It was heavy enough that he used both hands to aim it, his arms stretched in front of him so he could get a proper beam on his targets and move with his hips, rather than his arms. That was important – not moving his arms – because a day of trials was literally a day of trials. Eight hours of repetitive movements, in this case, firing on increasingly agile targets, and his arms felt like leaden weights. Of the three men – plus Heero – he'd entered the room with, two of them had already sunk against the wall in defeat. It wasn't just a matter of having a good eye. Stamina played a large role in the target drills.

He'd done well through the first few hours, the screen literally flashing with the amber explosions that resulted from his shots. Since the trial had shifted to this newest routine, with those insect-like soldiers, there were a lot more white and gold explosions. He just couldn't keep up with Heero's consistent and insanely accurate ability. Not to mention his arms hurt something awful.

Duo glared at a clump of soldiers on the left side of the screen, directly in front of where he stood. He took them out as quickly as he could. Each one down was almost immediately replaced with two more and he might have groaned in pure frustration at the blinding white flashes that lit up around his lonely amber hits. His only consolation was that Heero seemed to be falling behind as well. There were far fewer gold explosions than there had been three minutes ago.

He forced himself to keep up his own shots, just so he wouldn't have to join the losers seated behind the active participants. But Duo's eyes darted to the side so he could take in Heero's expression.

The dark-haired teen was positively scowling at the screen, his knuckles white from how tightly he gripped his gun. Unlike Duo, he was using only his right hand, his arm stretched out in front of him. Heero had an instinct when it came to knowing just where his shot would land, so he didn't need to strain his shoulders by lining up the eye of the weapon. His shots remained as fast and consistently accurate as they'd been during the first hour of the trial. He couldn't have sped up if he'd wanted to.

That was the source of his growing glare. Heero had started at his top speed, so he couldn't compensate for the growing speed and confusion of the targets' movements. The remaining competitor didn't seem to have that problem.

Duo glanced past Heero to where the other man was standing. He was a few years older than Heero, in his early twenties at most, and a good foot taller. He was dressed in the same black uniforms that all of the participants wore, and it went well with his short dark hair and matching eyes. He was completely absorbed in the simulation, so he didn't notice that he was being observed.

The first thing that struck Duo was how the participant was holding his gun low, firing from the hip with his wrist being the only part of his body in motion. The second thing Duo noticed was that the man had switched hands sometime during the last few minutes. When they'd started, he'd been using his left hand and keeping up with Heero as the two fastest players. Now he was using his right hand and leaving Heero behind with an uncanny ease.

The man's expression – a nervous flickering smile when he first stepped into the room – was now a concentrated frown, his dark eyes snapping from one target to the next. It made Duo think of a sniper. If not for his eyes and hand, the man might have been a statue.

The targets on the screen had nearly quadrupled when Duo glanced back over. He'd only looked away for a few seconds at best, but that was long enough for the simulated enemies to overrun the ruins. Those animated soldiers weren't even bothering to hide now that there were too many of them to fit into the various shadows of the crumbled building. And the flashes, white all over in the background, Heero's gold in the foreground, were blinding to Duo's eyes. He stepped back with a long sigh and lowered his weapon.

Using a gun was not one of Duo's innate skills, and he wasn't about to strain his muscles trying in vain to keep up with Heero. His partner was in his element. Duo was more at home with close combat and piloting, than this sort of boring and tedious shooting. He didn't join the men seated in the back of the room. Instead, he stepped to the side to lean against the wall where he'd have a better view of Heero and his competition. The screen was painful to look at.

A beep resounded in the room and narrow platforms rose up in front of the two remaining shooters. Each table held two handguns, lighter than the ones they'd been using up to this point. Heero snatched one up without stopping his shots. Then, firing with the new gun in his left, switched the right weapon. Beside him the other man stopped shooting altogether. He set his heavy weapon down and cracked his knuckles. Then he flashed a sharp look at Heero and snatched up the two smaller handguns. The explosions that followed were an epileptic's worst nightmare, such a mix of gold and white that it was impossible to tell who was landing more hits.

About four minutes later the screen went dead, the overgrown ruins so empty Duo could see the details of the simulation down to the little vines that were threaded among some of the cracks in the broken concrete. He'd tried to follow that final storm of explosions, but he couldn't have said which color he'd seen more of – gold or white. All he knew was that the moment they'd hit every target on the screen, the simulation was over.

The men in the back of the room offered reluctant congratulations to the two 'winners', including Duo in the begrudging praise. Then they all filed out of the room. One of those raccoon-eyed men stood in the hall and passed them cards as they stepped past him. Duo wasn't the least bit surprised to see that he'd made a score far higher than the two who'd quit early. But a peek over Heero's shoulder told him that was nothing to be proud of. His score was barely half what Heero had landed during those last few minutes of the trial.

"You didn't win that one?" Duo asked with a teasing smile.

Heero scowled at the man who'd been his competition. The man was standing a few feet ahead, waiting for them with a bright friendly smile on his face.

"I have the blue score," the man said, his tone more surprised and happy, than smug. "It was wild, wasn't it? I've never done anything like that before, but it was…invigorating. I really think I have a knack for this sort of thing. Though…I'm still not sure which hand I should have been using. Do you think that's odd?"

He was frowning at Duo, his head tilted a little to the side. Duo gave a weak smile, not sure what to say. Heero was still glowering beside him.

"I thought it was odd," Duo offered, "but I'm not ambidextrous. It looked like you did better with your right hand, but you eat with that one, so that's probably natural."

The man gave a thoughtful nod and made a passing comment about how worried he'd been about his eyes not adjusting to the explosions, since he didn't have the experience with space battles that most of the others had.

Heero's glare grew darker as he found himself trailing the two. Duo had met the man a day or so before, during one of the flight trials, and had come back to tell him all about the poor guy who couldn't fly a simulated mobile suit to save his life. Heero hadn't thought much about it at the time. There were plenty of soldiers on earth who'd never so much as touched a mobile suit. It wasn't until Duo told him the man had no military experience at all, that Heero had become suspicious.

Now he was convinced Nicholas D. Wolfwood was lying through his teeth. The fact that the man had made friends with Duo so quickly only added to his distrust. It didn't help that he was only a few years older than them, and had a way of talking that Duo called 'easy-going'. The man's entire affable persona felt false to Heero. He just didn't act like a soldier. That could have supported his claim that he had no military experience to speak of, but Heero refused to believe it. No one could shoot like the man had without years of experience. The only question Heero had was why Nicholas was bothering to lie. He couldn't help but see it as a ploy to get close to Duo.

Heero had told Duo just that, the night before, when the boy had asked to invite his new friend to join them for their evening meal. It was Duo's nature to be unguarded and almost naïve in his trusting of complete strangers. But Duo didn't just believe the man's story. He liked his open and friendly personality. To Heero, that was all the proof he needed to know Nicholas was up to something.

They spent the first part of their break in the cool auditorium. Now that the trials were underway, there were rarely more than twenty men in the room at the same time. This made it quieter, and, unfortunately, colder. Instead of the stale scent of heated bodies they had in the trial rooms, they were surrounded by the smell of freezer-burnt vegetables. The air vents that cooled the wall of food circulated around the main room and left the impression of bedding down in a grocery store. Duo made that apt observation to the curious amusement of his audience of one.

Heero remained sullenly separate from Duo and his new friend, within hearing range, but far enough that he wouldn't be called upon to be…sociable. While he couldn't find a good excuse to forbid Duo's involvement with Nicholas, or Wolfwood, as he preferred to be called, he would not support it, either. And though he'd never admit it aloud, Heero resented the fact that Duo had latched onto a stranger so quickly. He knew Duo found him boring to be around, but he hadn't expected the boy to find an alternate source of entertainment – not when they were surrounded by former enemies, who were mostly twice their age.

"What do you think, Heero," Duo called, glancing over his shoulder at Heero's cot. "Wolfwood's gotten red in all of the trials up to this last one. You think he still has a shot?"

"Shooting seems to be the only thing I'm any good at," said Wolfwood. "But I wasn't the worst person in my physical combat trial. There were a lot of old men who couldn't even finish that one."

"We'll find out soon enough," Heero said coldly.

He didn't bother to look up from where he was stretching his arms and shoulders over his folded legs. The men who ran the trials were supposed to be announcing the first round of cuts shortly. They'd know then who was being sent back to NU-695, and who would advance onto more difficult tests. As far as he was concerned, someone who only excelled in one category had no place in the simulations. He and Duo had taken different trials, but the categories were similar.

In the last few days they'd been through physical combat, targeting with weapons, piloting, endurance races – on moving tracks since it was a small satellite, and computer tests consisting of mazes and problem solving questions. He and Duo had done well in all of the trials, one or the other taking top marks – a blue score – for every category. If Wolfwood had received red, which was average at best, then he had no chance of advancing. At least, that was what Heero wanted to believe.

He scowled and bent lower over his legs so that his shoulders and back burned irritably. He had an idea those last three minutes – 3.25 by his count – had marked a very large difference in their scores. Part of him wanted to see Wolfwood's card and compare it to his own. Mostly he just wanted to see the man gone, back to the other side of the room where he'd been when Duo first arrived at the satellite. The more he listened to the two of them chat, the more he disliked the stranger.

Heero knew a good portion of his resentment stemmed from jealousy. He'd been isolated, separate from his old comrades for over a year. Seeing Duo again had reminded him how comfortable it was to be near someone he trusted, someone who accepted him and even embraced him despite all his antisocial leanings. Now he felt as if the stranger were encroaching on his space, moving the wall back so he had nothing to stand against. Wolfwood's infuriatingly pleasant personality grated on Heero's nerves. He didn't want to accept him. He certainly wasn't going to like him. And the fact that Duo liked him made his own determination that much stronger. He wanted his partner back and, quite frankly, Wolfwood wasn't good enough to compliment Duo's skills. Heero just hadn't found a way to come out and say as much without Duo getting angry with him.

Duo was well aware of the distance Heero had placed between them, and the role Wolfwood was playing as a catalyst to Heero sinking further into self-imposed isolation. He'd tried to get Heero interested in the young man, to convince him that Wolfwood was as friendly and open as Quatre or Duo himself. His efforts had only seemed to make Heero withdraw even more. And honestly, he was beginning to suspect Heero was jealous of his new friend.

That thought had served as encouragement to Duo, a potential way to tease his friend, maybe con a few growls out of the resistant boy. It was partly the reason Duo had gone out of his way to return Wolfwood's friendly gestures. Once he actually talked at length with the man, Duo found he didn't need an outside reason to be friends with him.

Wolfwood was easy to talk to, with a great sense of humor that made him downright entertaining at times. His only regret was that he couldn't seem to get Heero to like the man. It really reminded him that he'd spent months convincing Heero to tolerate him when they'd worked together. Trying to get Heero to like someone so similar to him was probably futile.

Two of the raccoon men showed up in the doorway of the large room, and the talk quieted down around them. Some of the soldiers elbowed acquaintances, waking those who'd dozed off, and catching others' attention. Duo and Heero exchanged a quick glance and stood, Wolfwood following suit with a wary look. They were told to follow as their names were called. Heero, Duo, and Wolfwood ended in the second group and soon found themselves back in one of the larger testing rooms, the one they'd used for the endurance races.

There were nine men in total, and the same number of chairs set up in the rectangular space behind the treadmills. At the front of the room were three of those tired looking men, who looked up and waved them to be seated when they entered. Duo was quick to grab one of the front row seats, Heero and Wolfwood sitting to either side of him. He flashed a smile at Wolfwood, who was looking ever more nervous at the prospect of being eliminated. Then he glanced at Heero and smirked at the boy's confident expression. Heero probably had the highest rank of all the participants, so he had nothing to be concerned about.

Two of the three men in front stepped off to the side, the remaining one rubbing a tired hand over his temple. He frowned at the participants and cleared his throat in the manner of a man giving a memorized and boring speech.

"What you're about to be told," the man started, his voice dull and a tad hoarse, "is not to be repeated to the other participants. If it is repeated, the offending party and the receiving party of the restricted information will be disciplined and dismissed. That said, the nine of you have been cleared to advance. You should know that _The Game _is more than interactive. It is potentially dangerous.

"You will enter an amphitheater in ten hours, with the recommendation that you sleep eight hours to be sufficiently rested. This amphitheater will become the game setting. Each player will be equipped with a transponder to help the programmers keep track of your progress. You will obey the programmers unquestionably. Those who succeed in the game will be rewarded. Those who fail in the game, or who fail to obey the programmers, will be disciplined and dismissed. Each of you is required to sign a waver before entering the amphitheater, voiding the backers from any responsibility in the case of accident or death. If you do not wish to sign a waver, you will be dismissed.

"You are to enter the amphitheater wearing the clothing you wore upon your arrival at the satellite. Any matching uniforms will have to be switched before entering the amphitheater. If you do not have a unique outfit in your possession, remain in this room after I've dismissed the group and we will see to resolving that problem. You are not to bring anything into the amphitheater aside from the clothing and footwear. Coats are permissible and recommended. Any attempt to bring a weapon, food items, or any items aside from clothing, into the amphitheater, will result in discipline and dismissal. If you have any questions regarding what may not be brought into the amphitheater, remain in this room. The rest of you are now dismissed. We will reconvene in ten hours in the washroom hallway. Anyone late will be dismissed. That is all."

Duo swallowed roughly at the man's clipped words, his eyes wide. He'd almost laughed aloud at the way all of that was stated as if it were some audio instruction manual. And for the life of him, he couldn't see what part of that speech they'd want to repeat to the other participants – they hadn't exactly been told any secrets.

Heero led the way back to the large room that served as dorm and cafeteria, the rest of the nine following behind. Duo caught up to him and flashed a weak grin as he sat beside Heero on the quiet boy's cot.

"Did you get anything from that?" asked Duo. "You were in an awful hurry to get out of there."

"Some," Heero admitted. His tone was quiet, and he was glad to see that Wolfwood had gone off to the washrooms instead of following them. It was annoying to know that the man hadn't been dismissed, but at least he wasn't eavesdropping.

"The waver proves that the game is dangerous," said Heero. "And that proves that they've used other 'players' in the past, which would explain the tests they've made us take. I suspect the other players were incapacitated, otherwise they would not need new recruits."

"Unless the other ones refused to play again," Duo put in, his eyes gleaming. "Sounds challenging."

Heero smirked at Duo's mischievous expression. "It does. It also sounds as if this game is considerably more than they're making it out to be. The key is the transponders. If this were a virtual reality game – in an amphitheater to make room for each participant to move around – they wouldn't need transponders."

Duo straightened at that, a hint of worry creeping onto his face. "Locators…"

"Exactly," said Heero. "There's no need for locators unless the participants are going somewhere. The question is where they go."

The boy's expression was deadly serious. Only that familiar gleam of determination told Duo that Heero was looking forward to the prospect of answering that question. Duo leaned over so their faces were so close they could have kissed – if he'd had a death wish, and Heero hadn't been Heero.

"I bet I know where the participants go," Duo whispered, his eyes dancing with dark glee. "Into the game. Does that scare you, Heero…?"

Heero gave a startled blink at the warm feel of Duo's breath on his face, not registering the words so much as the husky whisper with which they were spoken. He caught himself a moment later and gently shoved Duo's forehead back and out of his face.

"Idiot," Heero snorted, a droll glower flashing over his eyes. "If we did go…into the game, as you put it, then you're the one I'd worry about. As badly as you reacted to having the Zero system judge reality for you, you'll be in trouble if you're thrown into a game-created reality."

Duo scowled at the reminder, a faint blush creeping to his face. He hadn't had any nightmares in almost a year, but Heero had caught him a few times before the last rebellion. Once he'd admitted the cause – his short stint in Wing Zero during the war – he'd opened himself to all sorts of teasing remarks. But it was a low blow for Heero to bring that up now, just when he'd been in the midst of making Heero look like a wide-eyed ten-year-old.

"At least I never went crazy and attacked my friends," Duo scoffed.

"No," said Heero. "You just had nightmares for two years straight."

The longhaired boy bristled and shot off the cot. He glowered for a long minute. Then his expression twisted into a taunting look.

"Better than calling out Relena's name first thing after waking up," Duo said sweetly. "I think I'll go see what Wolfwood's up to. You can have your own little trip down memory lane if you want. I have a game to think about."

Heero's eyebrow twitched above a very irritated scowl. He turned to watch the boy swagger off, not the least bit mollified by the way the tip of Duo's braid twitched with each step. He didn't know who to be more irritated with, Trowa for repeating an incident that definitely hadn't deserved repeating, or Duo for using Wolfwood's name as if he'd be jealous upon hearing it.

Five minutes of silence later, and Heero knew with whom he was most irritated. He was irritated with Wolfwood, for existing, and with himself, for letting Duo use the man's existence to irritate him. It was going to be a long ten hours…

_**.-.  
**__**TBC**_


	3. Into the game

_Category: _Anime, Gundam Wing, Yaoi, Timeline-What-Timeline, Alternate Universe  
**_Minor Anime:_** Trigun, Sailor Moon  
_Pairings:_ 1x2 main  
**_Warnings:_** very light shonen ai  
_Author:_ Arigatomina  
_Email:_ arigatoumina (a) hotmail . com  
_Website_: www . geocities . com / arigatomina

**The Game**

_Part 3: "Into the game"_

Heero and Duo were up an hour in advance the next morning, giving more than enough time to dress and still themselves for their first attempt at playing _The Game_.

Duo had washed his hair in the stripped shower-rooms the night before, so he merely combed it out – with his fingers since he hadn't brought anything with him to the satellite. He braided it back up without any of the little slivers of metal he liked to keep in the folds. There wasn't any point getting dismissed on the off chance that he might want to unlock a door or blow something up.

He was surprised, and secretly amused, to see that Heero was wearing the same jacket he'd had the last time he saw the boy – over a year ago. It was just like him not to replace perfectly serviceable clothing. The white shirt was different, though, and he'd exchanged his ugly puke-yellow sneakers for simple tan boots. Duo almost hadn't brought a jacket with him, since he'd been living in the colonies so long the idea of cold weather was foreign to him. Luckily he'd snagged one at the last minute before boarding the shuttle. Now he slung on the black jacket with a smug look at Heero.

"You do realize that coat is long enough to get caught in anything you walk past," Heero stated, frowning at Duo's teasing expression.

"What do you think I'll be walking past?" asked Duo, more playful than ever. "We're just going into the amphitheater, right? It's not like we're going into…_The Game_."

That last bit was said with a dramatic stage whisper that earned him a sharp twitch of Heero's eyebrow. Duo grinned and reached back to fold down the collar of his coat. He tucked his dark blue shirt into his loose black slacks. Then he sat on the edge of his cot and laced up his thick boots. He was careful to do it slowly enough for Heero to scowl at his choice of footwear.

"Can you even walk in those?" Heero demanded. "The heels alone have to weigh at least five pounds."

"Very good exercise," Duo said cheekily. "And they look good on me, too, don't you agree? Like they say, you should march confidently into battle. And the clothes make the man."

Heero's eyebrow twitched again. "Those two sayings do not go together, Duo."

"Says you," Duo smirked. "Are those pants of yours tight enough, Heero? Looks like they've shrunk a few sizes since the last time I saw you in them. That can't be comfortable. Though…it is easy on the eyes."

Heero's head snapped down and he turned his back to Duo's cot, his hand rising so he could rub his temple. He was trying to ignore the comment, to keep from saying anything that would give Duo another opening to tease him. A low whistle sounded from behind him and he bit back a growl. He turned just in time to see Duo's gaze fly up to the ceiling, the boy's quiet whistle turning innocent.

"What a nicely curved ceiling they have," Duo remarked. His shoulders jerked a little with silent laughter. He could hear Heero's quiet growl as surely as he could feel the glare heating his face.

"You're in a very good mood," a cheerful voice commented.

Heero scowled at the man who'd come to stand near their cots, but Duo flashed Wolfwood a bright smile. A moment later both Duo and Heero were frowning in surprise, their expressions very similar. Wolfwood was dressed in black, a plain long-sleeved shirt, loose slacks, and a simple belt. But it was his high collar that had caught their eyes. Heero stared hard at that. Then he shot a questioning look at Duo. Duo shook his head.

"Are you a priest…?" Duo asked Wolfwood.

Wolfwood blinked in surprise and glanced from Heero to Duo. Then he looked down at his outfit and gave a weak smile. "Not that I know of. I didn't realize I looked that way. For a second there I thought maybe I'd left a bit of my clothing…undone."

Duo laughed at that and waved a dismissive hand. "It just surprised me. I used to wear a collar like that. It would have been one strange coincidence if you'd been a priest."

The two shared a quiet laugh, and Heero resumed his scowl.

For a brief second there, he'd almost accepted the idea of Duo being so friendly with the stranger. With Duo's past, it would be natural for him to like someone outgoing who shared a similar religious background. True, Duo had only used his religion as a symbol – that old outfit he'd sported for years. He'd still been raised by a priest. Heero could easily see where Duo might be drawn to an acting priest, and that would have explained how Wolfwood could have such marksmanship without having acted in the military – self defense, without any killing. Since that wasn't the case, he was back to resenting the man.

An announcement sounded in the room, warning of the approaching hour. The nine people in Heero's group moved off toward the hall that led to the showers. The boring man who'd spoken to them the night before was waiting for them at the mouth of the hall. He inclined his head, did a count of them with his eyes, and told them to follow. He then led them past the door to the restrooms and bathing facilities. The hall ended in a door with a flickering red 'Do Not Enter' light above, and a new computer lock to the side. He opened that and motioned them inside.

The amphitheater was surprisingly small, perhaps half the size of the all-purpose room they'd come from. It was lit with blinding white lights along the ceiling, sterile things that didn't flicker so much as glare down on the equipment below. There were nine computers set up along the walls, three each, and three more in the center of the room, which were arranged back-to-back in a circle. Three men sat at the center computers, and they didn't so much as glance up when the participants entered the room.

The tired man stopped and turned to them. For the first time, he showed some flash of life in his eyes, his tone giving evidence of excitement by the way it wavered a bit higher than the monotone he'd used before.

"You will go in three pairs," he said quickly. "The teams will not be competing. There are multiple options, so we need different groups to make different approaches toward the ultimate goal. Pair up, please."

Duo shot a surprised look at Wolfwood, wondering what became of the three extra people. He was startled when Heero snatched his wrist and jerked him a step away from the taller man. He almost laughed at the possessive glare Heero was sending Wolfwood.

"We're partners, then?" Duo smiled.

"Yes," Heero snapped, still glaring at Wolfwood and not relinquishing his tight grip on Duo's wrist.

For his credit, Wolfwood took the incident well. He flashed Duo a weak smile and held his hands up in front of him, telling Heero he wasn't going to threaten his claimed partner. The formerly tired man gave a quick nod to the three pairs.

"Each pair will be assigned a sniper and an interface. The interface is the direct feed to the programmer. You will obey him as the programmer, since he will be handing the orders directly to you."

Heero glowered at the man, and Duo almost laughed, his grin very wide when he waved a hand at Wolfwood. His friend joined him and Heero with a wary look down at the bristling Japanese boy. Heero didn't say a word. He just glowered all the more.

"I'll be your interface," a quiet voice spoke up. "It's good to see you again, Heero, Duo."

Wolfwood glanced over in surprise, a suspicious smirk pulling his lips. "Quatre. I might have known. I bet I have you to thank for my making it through the trial."

Heero and Duo snapped around at the same moment, both shocked to see the blond boy. Quatre was wearing the white coat and suit of the three men in the center of the room. He gave them a pleasant, if slightly reserved smile, and then shook his head at Wolfwood.

"I didn't interfere at all," said Quatre. "You are the most apt sniper we've seen. And you couldn't be with a better pair."

Duo shook his head in bewilderment, not sure what to make of Quatre's presence on the satellite, or his obvious role in the proceedings. Heero was quicker to react. He stepped forward and leveled a sharp look at his friend.

"Is the Winner family running this?" asked Heero.

Quatre sent a quick look over the other six men, making sure they were too far away to have heard Heero's quiet statement. Then he drew the three a bit further.

"We are," Quatre said quietly. "Or rather, the Winner Corporation is a large part of the endeavor. I didn't plan to involve any of my friends in this, but since you've come of your own accord, I'm pleased to have you here. I won't be going into the game, but at least I'll be certain you have the most able link to the real world. I'll be here to bring you home safely if anything goes awry."

"Into the game," Heero repeated, his eyes fairly gleaming. "Where did the technology come from, Quatre?"

Quatre glanced away, his expression very reserved. "We don't know."

He sent a faint smile at Duo and turned back to them. "I actually suspect the technology may be alien in origin, it's that far removed from anything we've ever seen. But isn't dangerous in itself. We simply haven't been able to beat the game and learn what is at the root of it. That's where you come in."

The formerly tired, and now highly animated, man stepped over sharply and nodded to Quatre. "We are ready to proceed."

Quatre nodded in return and handed a wristband to each of them, two reds to Duo and Wolfwood, and a blue one to Heero.

"These are your transponders," said Quatre. "I'll be able to track all of you through these, and to communicate through the blue. I take it Heero will be the natural leader of your team?"

This was stated with a faint smile that struck Duo as a ghost of Quatre's old nature. He stared at the boy. While he'd only seen him for a few minutes, he could feel how much Quatre had changed since they'd all been together during the rebellion. He seemed harder, more distant. And it was almost painful to realize he didn't feel as close to the boy as he would have expected, given all they'd gone through together. Where his reunion with Heero had been like slipping into comfortable shoes, this was akin to trying on a pair two sizes too small.

Heero had accepted the band. He gave Duo a light prod on the shoulder to make him snap out of his seemingly blank stare. Duo shook his head as if throwing off a bit of water. Then the three of them started to put on the bands.

"The moment they are in place," Quatre said quickly, "I'll start your game. Be warned that I cannot communicate with you unless you start the transmission – using the blue band. If you keep it active, I can follow you through the game. If it's inactive, I can track your movements and that is all. If anything goes amiss, contact me."

"Right," Heero nodded sharply.

They wrapped the bands in place, threading them like watches so they were too snug to fall off. Then they followed Quatre to the three monitors on the right side wall, his own interface being the computer in the center facing that side of the room. They were told to stand in front of each computer and wait. No more than two minutes later, their bands were activated.

From Duo's perspective, it looked as if the computer he'd been watching had suddenly grown very, very large. One minute he was standing and looking down at a screen that showed a purple background with a paler purple pillar of flame in the center. The next moment he was mere feet from a really tall and oddly cold flame, the sensation making his hands tingle. He stepped back without thinking. Heero quickly put a hand on his shoulder, making him aware that he and Wolfwood were in the same place with him.

It was a circular room of sorts, that tall pillar of cold flame taking up only a small portion of the center. Behind them was a dark purple wall that seemed to be made of cotton candy, or smoke – it had the appearance of texture and of being insubstantial at the same time. To their left were three arcing doorways that looked to be openings to pitch blackness. Three more arches stood on the other side of the flame. There seemed to be words written above each of the doorways, but they didn't have time to make them out.

The flame suddenly billowed and grew warmer. And the figure of a tall, slender woman appeared to be standing in the center of it, her short dress almost the same color as the blue-violet flame, and her straight greenish black hair falling nearly to her feet. She was holding a tall staff with a purple ball at the top, held in an ornamental arch. She smiled when the three of them stared at her.

"Welcome," the woman greeted in soft Japanese, "I am the guide."

Duo shot Heero a startled look, and Quatre's voice sounded quietly from Heero's blue wristband.

"The game uses the native language of the majority of the players," said Quatre. "Since Heero and Wolfwood are natively Japanese, the game will most likely keep that as the main language. Do you know enough Japanese to communicate, Duo?"

"Sure," Duo said faintly. "If I didn't, I could always use Heero to translate for me…"

He was staring at the woman. Her smile had changed when Quatre spoke. Now she was giving them an oddly disconcerting smile, a knowing and pleased one that made him wonder if he should be distrustful of a game character. She looked so real…

"I am the guide," the woman repeated gently. "You may call me Setsuna, or merely guide, as you choose. As you see," she waved a white-gloved hand at the doorways, "you have six portals available to you. You will choose one and enter. The task will be given once you've entered the portal. Upon completion, you will return here."

The moment she waved at the doors, turning in a circle in the midst of that purple flame, the symbols above the portals became legible. They were written in bold kanji, impossible for Duo to read. He might have picked up enough Japanese to communicate verbally, but he couldn't read a word of the text. Heero knew this, so he nodded at each one.

"The first door," said Heero, "reads _'Gunslinger,'_ second door _'Fantasy,'_ third door _'Samurai,'_ fourth door _'Demons,'_ fifth door _'Magic,'_ and the sixth door _'Random.'_ They're numbered as well."

Duo nodded, his eyes starting to glow. "It's like a choose your own adventure novel. I've heard about games like that. I want to try _'Fantasy.'_"

"I'd be more for the _'Gunslinger,'_ myself," Wolfwood smirked, "since that's about the only thing I'm good at."

"_Random_," Quatre's voice sounded. "We believe you have to pass each realm eventually, and _Random_ gives you realms that aren't available as portals. You may still end up in one of the portals here, but _Random_ is the only way to get to the other places at the start of the game."

Heero frowned at that, namely because Duo was sulking quietly. But Quatre would know more about the game. He caught Duo's gaze and raised an eyebrow. Duo sighed and shrugged his shoulder.

"_Random_ it is," said Duo.

"To enter," said Setsuna, "step into the portal of your choice. Step together, lest you be rejected and members lost."

That subtle warning made Duo flash the 'woman' a playful glower. He was startled when she returned his glower with a teasing wink. Again, he marveled at how real she seemed. Then he shook the thought off and moved to stand in front of the chosen arch, Heero and Wolfwood to either side of him. There was just enough room for them to step together. Duo caught their hands, just in case. Then they walked into the seeming void.

_**.-.  
**__**TBC**_


	4. The first task, a true Muramasa

_Category:_ Anime, Gundam Wing, Yaoi, Timeline-What-Timeline, Alternate Universe  
**_Minor Anime:_** Trigun, Sailor Moon, Samurai Deeper Kyo  
_Pairings:_ 1x2 main  
**_Warnings:_** very light shonen ai  
_Author: _Arigatomina  
_Email:_ arigatoumina (a) hotmail . com  
_Website:_ www . geocities . com / arigatomina

**The Game**

_Part 4: "The first task, a true Muramasa"_

The black void that lay within the _Random_ portal gave way to a springtime setting, a vibrant forest path marked by shadowing foliage and a pleasantly warm midday breeze. A few birds took flight from the branches overhead, their calls answered by kinsman deeper in the surrounding forest. Duo's first instinct was to gape in wonder. He gave a bland comment about the 'graphics' in the game just as the surroundings went silent and their guide's voice sounded from the air around them.

"The task," Setsuna's voice said, "is to acquire a true Muramasa for each player. Complete the task to advance."

Heero had an idea she would break contact as soon as the message was given, so he spoke up quickly. "What is this Muramasa?"

"They are weapons of unique quality," the guide answered, her disembodied voice laced with amusement. "One player is to head north alone, two south. The three will reconvene at a later point as the task unfolds."

There was a soft breeze after she'd spoken, and the sounds of the forest were suddenly active again. Duo and Heero exchanged a long look. Then Heero turned to Wolfwood.

"I got it," Wolfwood said, a wry smile pulling his lips. "You're going to stick together and send me off to fend for myself, right? I can't say that I'm surprised."

Quatre's voice spoke up from Heero's wristband, his tone sharp and a tad reproving. "The point of a sniper is to compliment the team. The parameters of a task given by the game are not absolute. If you remain together, there's no reason you can't take both routes."

"Trying to get around the rules usually makes trouble in games," Duo commented. "I bet it's no coincidence that the first task is to find weapons for each of us – something we'll probably need in the tasks that follow. I really doubt they'd separate the players if it weren't necessary for the storyline. If it's one person going solo, versus a pair, you can be sure the pair will face the stronger challenges."

Duo wasn't exactly comfortable with the idea of sending Wolfwood off into the game alone, to face who knew what sort of problems. He had played a few games in the past, so he knew that when teams were broken into groups, the largest group always had the 'boss' villains to beat, while the solo missions were to strengthen individual characters. Since this was an obvious task to gain a weapon for each player, the challenges probably wouldn't be anything Wolfwood couldn't handle.

"He won't be alone," said Heero. He was careful not to look at Wolfwood, his gaze directed at the wristband he wore. "Quatre, you can follow him. I'll switch bands with him so you can monitor his situation. Duo and I have worked as a team before, so we're less likely to need assistance."

Quatre's voice was sharper than ever when he retorted, "I really don't see the need to-"

The rest of Quatre's sentence was cut off the moment Heero removed the band. Duo and Wolfwood stepped closer to him, staring down at it in surprise.

"Quatre?" asked Duo. "You still there?"

The silence that followed made it rather evident that he was not there. It seemed he couldn't communicate unless the band was actively placed on a player's person. Heero took note of that information and handed the band over to Wolfwood, exchanging it for the man's red one. Once they'd both secured the bands, Quatre's voice was heard again.

"I must insist that you do not remove the bands," Quatre was saying, his tone clipped and audibly restrained. "There are places in the game where communication is impossible. At all other times you are to remain in contact with me as your interface."

"Understood," Heero said sharply. "We're proceeding with the task now."

Duo hurried to catch Wolfwood before the man could turn away from them. He sent a furtive look over his friend and was relieved to see no resentment over Heero's having decided his role. Duo flashed a weak, apologetic smile.

"Heero did get assigned as leader," said Duo. "But we can switch if you don't want to go on the solo mission. I mean, you don't have to just-"

Heero was scowling at Duo. Wolfwood noticed that and gave the longhaired boy a quick smile.

"It's fine," said Wolfwood. "I'm more of a loner, anyway. And as the sniper, well, hiding in the brush and keeping an eye on the team seems about right. We'll meet up before you know it."

Wolfwood waved a hand at Heero, not minding that the boy was still frowning at him. He wasn't oblivious to the resentment Heero harbored him, but that wasn't the reason he was accepting the solo role in this task. He was excited by the prospect of tackling the game on his own. And he'd known Quatre for long enough that having the boy as his 'partner' was a nice prospect.

Quatre lodged one final, and formal, protest against their decision. As he didn't make it an order from the programmer, they shrugged his protest off and parted ways. Wolfwood went down the left side of the path, while Heero and Duo headed in the opposite direction.

Duo sent a number of looks behind him and didn't speak to his partner until he could no longer spot Wolfwood, the man having taken some turn down that shadowy path. Once his friend was out of sight, he sighed and shook his head at Heero.

"Is it just me," said Duo, "or has Quatre gotten really stiff? I know he said this game was dangerous, but I can't remember him ever acting so…well, like you. Giving orders and being all stuffy like that…"

"It isn't just you," said Heero.

He didn't elaborate on that statement, and the two of them fell into silence again. Duo occupied himself with looking over the amazingly detailed surroundings. Whatever this place was, or wherever it was, it definitely hadn't been made by a simple computer program. He could feel the light gusts of wind that swept past the leaves overhead, carrying a vague scent of damp dirt, as if it had rained not long ago. Heero was frowning at the path itself, namely the way every step they took left an imprint in the grass.

"He must have fallen out with Trowa," Duo murmured softly, his mind going back to the strange behavior of his friend. "The last time I saw them they'd gotten over whatever fight they had after the war. I thought for sure they were going to get together. I can't think of any other reason Quatre would be so severe, and you know Trowa would be involved in this if they were still in contact with each other. I mean, sure, Quatre did say he hadn't planned to involve his friends, but-"

A soft feminine groan called out ahead of them, and Duo broke off his words. There was a young woman a few yards away, curled in the higher grass that lined the path. She was flushed and making all sorts of whimpering moans, her hands fluttering over her ankle as the evident source of her discomfort. She was so busy in her little exclamations of pain that she didn't seem to notice them at all.

She had sandy blonde hair pulled back into a low tail behind her and was wearing a very loose melon-pink kimono, with a clashing greenish yellow band around her waist. Her pale breasts fairly fell out of her robe as she tossed her head in seductive agony, whimpering plaintively. Duo spotted what looked like a medicine box no more than four feet away from her. He sweatdropped with a weak grin.

"Good deeds," Duo whispered to Heero. "Definitely a game."

Heero raised an eyebrow and looked from Duo to the dramatically suffering woman. Then Duo directed his attention to the box sitting near her on the side of the path. Heero gave a resigned sigh and approached the strange female.

"Oh," the young woman gasped, her eyes glittering at Heero as if he were her long lost lover. "Oh, won't you help me...? It hurts, it hurts so…!"

Duo slapped a hand over his mouth to smother his choked laugh. He'd seen better acting from prostitutes. Now this was a funny game. He stood back and let Heero pick up the medicine box. His friend didn't say a word to the doe-eyed woman. Heero stopped two feet from her and put the box within her reach. Then he returned to Duo and caught his arm. Duo ginned as Heero marched on past the woman, dragging him along.

"Wha…?" the woman blurted, snapping her head around to stare after them. "Wait! Kind stranger-"

"Sorry, lady," Duo called back to her with a wide grin. "We're not doctors. Use the drugs in that medicine box. I'm sure you'll be just fine."

"Stop talking to her," Heero whispered, shooting a glare at Duo and jerking on the boy's wrist. "She might follow us."

Duo let out a light laugh and picked up his pace so he was walking next to Heero, instead of being pulled along behind him. His friend had that same look of wary distaste he'd worn back when Relena had stalked him all over Earth. Duo grinned at that memory, and slung a friendly arm over the tense boy's shoulders.

"You know, Heero," Duo said quietly, glancing back over his shoulder to make sure the girl wasn't following, "we probably just messed up the game."

Heero flinched a little and sent him a startled look. "What?"

"I bet we were supposed to take her with us," said Duo. "That's how games work - you help out a stranger and get a prize as your reward, some information, or a new player to join you on your quest. And as eager as she was to catch your eye, I'm betting she's one of those 'romantic interest' characters. They almost never have male players without some breasty girl for him to rescue."

"She's useless," Heero protested. "I'd rather have Relena here."

"Well, yeah," Duo grinned, "because at least Relena could talk our enemies to death."

Heero gave a soft snort, not quite smirking at the comment. He was still confused by the concept of having to take some female character with them, especially one so clearly 'designed' to be a sex object. Was that supposed to help them complete the task of finding weapons? It would be a distraction, something that would slow them down and cause unnecessary irritation. He wasn't blind. He'd seen the way she'd pursed her lips and thrust her chest out when he'd approached her with the medicine box. He'd sooner believe Duo was a saint, than he'd believe that female had a real injury.

Heero let out another snort, and Duo was surprised to see the boy wearing a small smirk. He smiled back at him, thinking he was amused at the woman's behavior, or his teasing remark about Relena.

"I'm glad we didn't take the girl with us," said Duo, "but we probably should have at least talked to her. She might have told us where we're supposed to go to find these…"

He blinked and frowned, his nose scrunching a little. "What did the guide – Setsuna – call those weapons?"

"True Muramasa," said Heero. "As far as I know, a Muramasa is a sort of blade, a sword. But they must be particular swords, if she referred to them as 'true.'"

Duo grimaced. "I've never been good with swords, not even beam sabers in Deathscythe. I always had my scythe, or a gun, bombs, you know – my own style. I hope we don't have to use swords in the rest of the tasks."

Heero didn't say anything to that, mostly because he couldn't think of any response. He was well aware of Duo's style of fighting, particularly when he'd had his gundam to fight with. As far as he knew, Deathscythe hadn't even been equipped with a beam saber, the standard backup weapon for mobile suits.

Duo was kicking his feet a little, probably feeling himself at a disadvantage in the game before it even really started. Heero scowled and wished he had something to say that would distract the boy. Unfortunately, distracting a person with flippant comments was more Duo's forte. He tore his gaze away and focused on the path. It appeared to be breaking ahead of them.

They entered a clearing that was marked by a dingy wooden building with grayish brown boards, a pitched roof, and cracks wide enough to push a finger through. Whoever had built the place had long since abandoned it. Heero suspected it was now used by travelers. There was a dirt-sprinkled firing hole not far from the shed that had seen activity not too long ago, evidenced by the fresh footprints pressed into the grass around it. Duo passed him to take a peek into the shed.

"We don't even know where to look for these Muramasas," Duo grumbled. He didn't find anything of interest in the shed, just a thick pile of moldy straw and more cobwebs than he cared for. The smell had him closing the door very quickly.

"If they're swords of any quality," said Heero, "they wouldn't be abandoned in a place like this."

Duo sighed in agreement. He moved over to glance on down the trail, which resumed its relatively straight course on the other side of the fifteen foot clearing. The trees were too close together to spot anything beyond them. Whatever landscape lay past the forest wouldn't show itself for quite a while.

"I wonder if time is the same here as it is outside the game," Duo mused. "If we're here very long, we'll have to find something to eat, lights so we can move around at night – assuming this place follows normal sunrise-sunset logic. It seems like earth, so it probably does."

"We haven't been walking for more than an hour," said Heero. "If we pick up our pace we should be past this forest before sunset. As for any time difference, we won't know until we meet up with Wolfwood and hear from Quatre."

"Right," Duo sighed. "I guess we should-"

Something flickered in the forest, a fleeting shadow over the grassy path he'd been looking down. Duo froze. He could feel the familiar sensation of being watched, but he couldn't decide where the watcher was located. Heero noticed his wary tension and started toward him from the other side of the clearing. He made it four feet. Then something lumbered out from behind the shack.

It was a tall, strange-looking man. His face was long and jutting at the chin, his eyes dull in a way that made him appear very unintelligent. It was his bare chest that caught the eye most. His ribs were showing below wide shoulders and he had lumpy muscles along his arms. His body seemed to have been confused as to whether it should be starved and bony, or rippling with thick muscles. His head was covered with tufts of dingy brown hair, spots appearing to have been torn out at random.

The stranger was grinning at Heero with a sliver of saliva trailing from his open mouth. Duo grimaced in disgust and took a sharp step toward his partner. The man reacted by throwing a hand out in his direction, though he didn't take his eyes off Heero.

"This doesn't concern you, boy," the man said in thick Japanese, his grin widening until it threatened to split the tight skin over his face. "He's the one I've been looking for. You remember me…?"

Heero's eyes narrowed and he sent a sharp look at Duo, warning him to stand down until they knew what aspect of the game the man represented. Duo gave him a reluctant nod. Heero turned his gaze back to the strange-looking man.

"Should I remember you?" asked Heero.

"You should," the man slobbered, his eyes starting to gleam, "you should! I remember you, Demon-Eyes Kyo! I'm going to tear you apart for what you did to me. I've been waiting for you, so long, just for this chance. You can't hide in that body. I can see what you are – I can see right through you!"

If Duo had been armed, he would have found the man's gibbering speech amusing to listen to, especially with the way the stranger's shoulders lurched upward with each word. Instead, he found it disturbing. The man took a swaggering step toward Heero. Duo was in the perfect position to see the creepy ripples that crawled beneath the taut skin on the man's back.

Heero fell into a ready crouch and did his best to ignore the hairs that were starting to stand on the back of his neck. There was something very wrong with the man, aside from his mutated appearance. The wind had shifted toward him. Now he could smell rot and dirt, as if it were a corpse approaching him. For the first time he seriously doubted his choice to send Wolfwood off alone in this game. If the marksman were in a similar position right now, Heero was entirely to blame.

The man threw a hand out at Heero. What looked like small white spikes flew from his exposed palm. Heero dodged the missiles with a graceful roll that ended back in the same sort of ready crouch he'd started with. His gaze snapped to the weapons. He hadn't seen the man draw anything, but they were definitely weapons, short tooth-shaped spikes that dug into the ground where Heero had been standing. The stranger let out a wet laugh and tossed more of those spikes at him. And Duo started forward silently toward the enemy's unguarded back.

Duo might not have had a weapon, but that didn't mean he was useless. He could knock the lanky man down and snap his neck if it came to that. While he wasn't an expert like Heero, he knew more than his fair share of hand-to-hand combat. The real problem was that he'd have to touch the man in order to do it. The closer Duo moved to the stranger, the better he could see the squirming ripples pressing and twisting beneath the man's skin.

Duo was about three feet away when something exploded. The man lurched sideways as if he would fall over, paused with his weight on one leg, and slowly righted himself. He didn't take his eyes off Heero, who had jerked at the sound of the gunshot and was currently staring at the shack with eyes so wide they might easily have popped out of his head. Duo had a brief moment of untimely amusement at his partner's expression. Then he focused on the shooter. Seconds later his expression mirrored Heero's. That blonde female was standing in front of the shack with a very large and smoking handgun leveled at the stranger.

"Stop right there," she ordered, her eyes narrow and confident. "The next shot won't be a flesh wound. The head of Demon-Eyes Kyo is mine. I'll collect the reward, and you-"

"Wait your turn," the man growled, openly annoyed. "I'll eat you when I'm done."

He snapped his wrist in her direction and a series of those tooth-shaped spikes pinned her to the side of the shack. She was lucky in that they only pierced her clothing, just missing her skin. Duo flinched at this turn of events. His movement alerted the man to his proximity and earned him a place on the wall next to the girl. The difference between the two was that his clothing wasn't as baggy as hers, so he had absolutely no room to move. He could easily have died of humiliation at being dismissed as quickly as the woman.

Since he couldn't seem to pull free of the wood behind him, Duo played the role of verbal distraction. He quickly informed the freakish man that neither of them was this Kyo person, and that if they wanted to kill each other that was fine with him, just so long as they didn't involve him and Heero, because they definitely weren't going to get any reward for their heads. During his loud and obnoxious ranting the man turned toward him with a somewhat confused look. Heero used the opening to his advantage. He knocked the stranger down with one swift blow to the back of the neck.

The woman gasped beside him, and Duo almost rolled his eyes. Had she really thought she could take Heero down with a simple handgun? She obviously had no idea who she was up against, and neither did that weird-

Duo didn't finish his thought. Heero had no more than pulled back from his successful hit, than the man rolled over and swiped something sharp and long at him. The dark-haired boy just managed to avoid getting his throat sliced open.

That scent Heero had detected was overwhelming him. Now he could see why.

The man's face had split along the center, the skin peeling back so his mutated head could emerge in noxious detail. His mouth was a ring of fangs on a burnt brown background, a writhing tongue that resembled nothing so much as a proboscis protruding from within. His eyes remained the same glossy yellow, but they were bulbous and barely held in liquid red sockets. The worst was the skin. As it curled toward the man's back, bony spikes and vine-like tentacles squirmed free to surround him, each one writhing with a life of its own.

The woman began to scream beside him, but Duo barely heard her. His breath caught in his throat and congealed there, the stench choking him as much as his sudden fear for Heero's safety. He clenched his fists and pulled against the spikes at the same time as he pressed his legs tight against the wood. The shack had looked flimsy. Now was a good time to find out how flimsy it was.

The creature, which no longer resembled a man at all, lunged forward with those sharp bony blades arced over its shoulders and the tentacles spread wide to catch his prey. Heero almost froze in his tracks, his mind flying for a method to combat the thing. The only direction he could move was straight back. If he dodged to either side those tentacles would get him, and remaining in place would put him within the monster's outstretched claws and right in line with those blades. He jumped back and then darted to the side, being careful to stay just outside the creature's reach.

Clomps of dirt and grass littered the air as the monster plowed into the ground where Heero had been standing. It pulled free and whipped around, those tentacles on its back already orienting on Heero's new location. Heero dodged again, edging closer to the forest. His best chance was to get out of the open. The monster wasn't that fast, but with its extended reach, he didn't have any room to look for a weak point in its defense. He was a few feet from the trees when he realized someone was behind him.

"Kyo-san! Use this!"

Heero whirled, fully expecting to see yet another enemy. He barely reacted in time to catch the sword that had been tossed at him. An electrical current shot up his arm the second his fingers closed over the hilt. Heero didn't pause to wonder at that strange sensation. The monster was closing in on him fast. He pulled the sword free and ducked down and forward.

Tentacles wrapped tight around his arms, from wrist to shoulder, more circling his neck, and one of those blades came down inches from his face. Heero grimaced and shoved his arm forward, driving the sword deeper into the thing's midsection. He was rewarded with a gush of putrid green sludge from that dripping mouth. His eyes closed against it even as he ripped the sword to the side, slicing the creature almost entirely in half. For a long moment those tentacles tightened around him. Then they slipped away as the monster slumped in a steaming heap on the grass.

Heero scrubbed an arm over his eyes, where splatters of that sludge had struck his face. When he opened his eyes again, he could see the creature dissolving in an odious cloud of green vapor. He stepped away with the dripping sword still in his hand. His logical mind was processing the events as some creative aspect of a fantasy game, but his body was telling him the physical danger was very real. He swiped the sword through the air to knock off some of the thick liquid that coated it. The blade had begun to smoke as if the sludge were some corrosive acid. That done, he was torn between finding the person who'd thrown the weapon – possibly an enemy – and freeing Duo before some other disguised creature could attack them.

Having determined it was best to focus on the potential threat of the person who'd given him the weapon, he turned toward the forest. A tingling wave of electricity in his arm stopped him. His eyes snapped down only to narrow abruptly. The blade of the sword, now clean of that greenish slime, was glowing with a blinding white light, the heat of which resonated up his arm until it fairly throbbed inside his skull. As he stared at it, the blade thickened and reshaped itself into a very familiar, if miniaturized, shape. It had turned into a three-foot long replica of Wing Zero's beam cannon.

"What is this?" the woman cried out, her voice sharp enough to startle Heero. "What kind of creature was that? Someone get me down!"

The last bit was stated after a quick glare at Duo. Duo returned the scowl, not liking the woman's accusatory tone. She'd planned to attack them, hadn't she? Thanks to her, he was stuck pinned to a wall like some insect on display, instead of down where he could check out Heero's new weapon. He didn't have to ask to know Heero had just acquired their first 'true' Muramasa.

Something flickered in front of Duo and resolved itself into the figure of a small silver-haired boy. He had wide cat-shaped amber eyes, and was dressed in a pale bluish-white robe with matching shorts. A long sword, almost as tall as him, was strapped to his back. He didn't speak as he reached up to remove the spikes holding Duo's wrists in place. He moved to the young woman next, ignoring her startled warning for him to stay away from her. It seemed she hadn't meant _him_ when she'd yelled for someone to free her.

With his hands loose, Duo made short work of the rest of his bindings. Those spikes felt like ivory tusks, but they were textured in a spiral pattern that made twisting them the best way to pull them free of the wood. That explained why he'd had such trouble trying to force them straight out. They were more like conical screws than actual spikes.

Duo didn't pause to stare at the strange boy, who didn't seem interested in attacking him, or looking at him, for that matter. He ran over to Heero so he could investigate the sword-turned-cannon. He was quick to offer his opinion of the fight – it had been rigged from the start, with no way Heero could have defeated the monster on his own. It had been an obvious ploy to put Heero in danger so that someone would give him the necessary weapon.

Heero agreed with Duo's summation. His attention was now focused on the person in question, who'd so conveniently been there to throw the sword to him. This individual stepped out of the shadows of the forest with a confused, but not unfriendly frown.

He had straight black hair that fell just past his shoulders and curled up at the edges, making a stark contrast to his yellow collar. His outfit was a pale yellow jacket with darker yellow and red markings, the tails ending just past his hips, and loose white pants. He was wearing the same sort of sandals as the boy, and had a sword on his left hip. Tall and slender, he had an effeminate face with dark lashes outlining his midnight blue eyes.

"This isn't right," he stated, his head tilting to the side as he looked at Heero. His voice was a soft tenor, with a somewhat whimsical tone. "You're not Kyo, or Kyoshiro, for that matter. How is it the Muramasa recognized you as its owner?"

"You mean this?" asked Heero, lifting the cannon. The man nodded in response, and Heero shook his head. "If it's a true Muramasa, it's what I've been looking for."

"You and anyone else with an eye for craftsmanship," the stranger smirked. "That doesn't tell me how it is that the sword chose you as its master. That was Kyo's sword. He should have been here, not you. That demon has been stalking Kyo for days now, along with the girl."

He turned to flash a smile at the young woman, who'd eased close enough to eavesdrop on them. She jumped with a faint blush and a quick scowl. Then he directed his gaze back to Heero.

"Has Kyo jumped bodies again?"

Heero and Duo glanced at each other, both wondering about the 'rules' of the game. They hadn't been told anything about the 'worlds' they'd go to, or the people they might encounter. If Heero had taken the place of someone as a part of the game, then the game characters shouldn't have noticed the difference.

"We don't know anything about this Kyo," Duo said, in somewhat rusty Japanese. "We were on a…mission of sorts, looking for two weapons like that one, when that monster attacked us."

The woman rushed over to stand between Duo and the swordsman, her eyes wide and almost outraged. "Are you saying Demon Eyes Kyo isn't here? That I sat there all day, waiting for him to walk by, for nothing?"

"Seems like it," said Duo.

"I don't believe this!" She threw her hands up and let out a frustrated cry. Then she pulled at her robe and rooted around inside till she came up with a wrinkled stack of fliers. She rifled through them, shooting looks from each sheet, to Heero and Duo. After a few minutes she stuffed the papers back in her kimono and turned on her heel. "What a waste of time! They don't even have warrants…!"

Duo raised an eyebrow and watched the woman stalk over to the shack. She retrieved her oversized handgun and disappeared down the path without a backward glance. Duo turned back to the stranger with a questioning look.

"A bounty hunter," the man smiled. "She's lucky she ran into the two of you, rather than Kyo."

"About that," said Heero. "You said this weapon belonged to a person named Kyo? Did it have this shape when he used it?"

"A true Muramasa is said to take the form best suited to its chosen master. When Kyo handled that blade, it was a blade – he was a swordsman. I've never seen one take the form of a gun, certainly not such an unusual one. I don't suppose you'd care to demonstrate its power…?"

Heero frowned at the hopeful expression on the man's face, something about those glittering eyes making him suspicious. He shot a glance at Duo and wasn't surprised to see his partner wearing a similar look of curious interest. With a sharp look at the smiling stranger, Heero lifted his arm and aimed the cannon at the forest to his right.

That tingling, almost heated electric sensation started in his arm when he placed his finger around the trigger. He could see that white energy glowing along the edges of the beam cannon, as if it were charging itself the same way it would have if it were used by a mobile suit. The difference was that Heero felt as if he were the source of that energy – he had a strange thought that he could kill himself by using the weapon too often. He pressed the thought back into a corner of his mind, to be explored in detail at a later time.

The cannon shook in his hand, visible energy coalescing at the tip in a fiery ball. It fired a narrow beam of white-hot energy that exploded against a nearby tree. Heero belatedly wondered if he would cause a fire. But the tree incinerated so quickly it was reduced to ash without any true flame building to catch the surrounding forest. The test told him that if he were to hold the trigger, rather than firing a quick shot, he could have a sustained beam the same way he'd had with Wing Zero.

It was definitely a weapon molded to suit him in particular. Heero found it very interesting, and just as suspicious. How could the game know that about him? Had it been programmed with his personal history?

"Sugoi!" the black-haired man exclaimed.

Duo echoed that sentiment with a wide smile. He couldn't fail to notice the slight twitch of smugness that flashed over Heero's face. His partner crossed to where he'd dropped the hilt earlier and took the belt to use as a sort of sling around his back, where he hooked the cannon to hang comfortably. He clearly had no intention of returning the weapon to the stranger. He said as much when he resumed his spot next to Duo.

"No, no," the stranger smiled, waving a dismissive hand at Heero. "It's yours now. You've taken Kyo's place as its owner. I was merely holding it for him – now you. I couldn't have used it myself."

"Do you know where another Muramasa is located?" asked Duo. Now that he'd seen Heero's 'game-provided weapon' he was eager to find his own.

Dark blue eyes gave Duo an appraising look. "Perhaps. Are you familiar with Sanada Yukimura, by chance?"

Duo and Heero both shook their heads, and the stranger's smile returned twice as bright.

"I'm surprised," the man admitted. "You two must hail from some place quite distant. I'm Yukimura. The reason I asked if you were familiar with my name is because of a tournament that's taking place soon. Most of the neighboring clans will be there. The prize…is a secret treasure. If my guess is correct, it's a true Muramasa."

"I knew it!" Duo grinned. His outburst surprised Yukimura, but he didn't mind. He shot an excited look at Heero. "That has to be my weapon. So all we have to do is win this tournament. Between the two of us, we should be able to do that easily. And I bet there won't be any more attacks between now and then – if that's the next 'challenge' for us."

"Where is this tournament being held?" asked Heero.

Yukimura blinked rapidly and leaned away from the pair. "You must realize the strongest samurai and shinobi will be competing in the tournament. And even if one of you were to win, that's no guarantee the Muramasa would accept you as its master."

"It'll accept me," Duo said confidently. "As for the challengers, well, I'm sure we'll manage to hold our own. This is Heero, by the way. I'm Duo."

"Very interesting to meet you," Yukimura smiled. "I was planning to dally a while, but since Kyo is conspicuously missing at the moment, I can show you the way."

They followed him toward the northern path. That silver-haired boy was leaning against a tree when they entered the woods. Heero was surprised to see him since he'd been distracted earlier. The boy, who Yukimura fondly introduced as Sarutobi Sasuke, gave them a bored look and fell into step beside the taller man. He didn't offer any greetings, and was silent while Yukimura explained more about the tournament.

The person who'd organized the tournament was the head of the clan currently holding control as the strongest in the region. He'd invited his rivals, enemies, and allies, all to try their strength in a controlled set of matches. It was a way to test each other without having to start a new war. They'd only recently begun to recover from the last conflict.

Heero followed Yukimura's descriptions with a pronounced frown. There was something vaguely familiar about the names of the rival clans, along with the obvious Japanese names for the places involved. He suspected this part of the game was based on a real time in Japanese history on Earth, possibly using the actual names of real people who'd taken part in the bloodshed. The addition of monsters and magical weapons made the realm appear more fantasy than anything, but it could have been based on a true setting. The game had simply added on to create 'tasks' for the players, and challenges that couldn't be found in the real world.

He considered telling Yukimura about the game to see if the 'character' had any programmed response. Heero would have done just that, if they hadn't been so close to completing the task. Chances were, he'd either drive away their guide – with the man thinking them crazy – or he'd break some unstated rule and get the entire task 'reset'. He reminded himself to ask Duo about that later since he was more familiar with games.

As Heero had predicted, the forest thinned just as the sun began to sink. Yukimura was quick to warn them that traveling at night was dangerous, and tiresome, besides. They stopped at an inn in a small village just as the sky went black and stars started to peek down at them.

Duo had wondered about the occupants of the village, a quiet dirt lane with small shuttered buildings seemingly devoid of life. He had to assume the 'dangers' at night were monsters, or bandits, and that the people living in the town retired early to avoid them. Considering it was a game, he was sure the real story behind the empty streets was just that the 'program' hadn't made any excess characters for them to run into. He kept that thought to himself, not wanting to ruin the fun of this otherwise realistic world.

Yukimura set them up at the inn, not seeming surprised or bothered to hear they had no money on them. He settled himself on the open porch with a jug of sake and encouraged them to relax in the hotsprings that were attached to the inn. Yukimura's teasing comment about how Heero smelled like a sour corpse was enough to send Duo dragging his stubborn partner outside. The scent was rather foul, though it hadn't been noticeable until they'd stood inside within a close proximity of the Japanese boy.

Since he'd never been to a hotspring during his time on Earth, Duo was surprised to find it really was a spring. Set behind the inn, the naturally heated pool of water was lined with smooth stones, wisps of steam rising off into the open night sky. There were bushes and trees planted around it to provide privacy, and thick robes and towels for those who chose not to bathe in the nude. Duo almost took advantage of the latter items. He didn't want Heero to think he was self conscious, but he was very aware that they'd never actually seen each other without some sort of clothing on. They weren't that sort of partners.

If Heero suffered the same reservations as Duo, he hid them well. He undressed methodically in the room adjoining the spring and took up one of the thick wraps. This he left near the edge of the pool, within reach for when he emerged again.

Duo hurried to put on a similar display of disinterest. His face was still warm from having watched Heero strip right in front of him, but the boy hadn't glanced over to see the blush. He was grateful for that much. As often as he'd admitted to himself that Heero was very good looking, he hadn't quite reached the point where he could actually think that without at least a faint flush rising to his cheeks. It was just that...this was Heero! Being attracted to his partner was embarrassing and a little pathetic, really. Duo might have hoped after a year of not seeing the boy, he'd get over that youthful crush of his. Obviously, that wasn't the case. Heero still looked every bit as...well-toned...as he had when Duo had first spotted him in skin-tight spandex. Now _there_ was a thought he really didn't need to be thinking...

Shaking his head with a grin, Duo did his best to laugh off his embarrassment. He managed to put a confident swagger into his steps. The false bravado worked so well that he didn't even hesitate when he discarded his wrap to join Heero in that rather intimate pool. He was so deep in putting on a show of confidence that he didn't notice his friend had dropped his eyes with a terse frown.

Heero was surprised at himself. He hadn't thought twice about the idea of sharing the hotsprings with Duo. He knew for a fact that people did such things on a regular basis back on Earth, at least in Japan. But the moment Duo had followed him outside with nothing but that pale towel wrapped around his hips, Heero had been struck very uncomfortable. He'd had to literally lower his head to keep from watching Duo remove the wrap, and he found that disturbing. It was true that he'd never seen Duo naked. The closest he'd come was during the war, when he'd wrapped some of Duo's injuries and spent a day or so with the boy wearing little more than a long shirt. Curiosity alone might have accounted for his errant eyes. But curiosity was no excuse to violate Duo's privacy. The fact that he'd been so tempted to look made him feel distinctly guilty, and...surprised. Sex simply wasn't something he'd spent any amount of time considering.

Eager to reclaim that comfortable ease he normally felt in the company of his partner, Heero launched into a discussion of _The Game_.

They wondered at the monster they'd encountered, the details of which Duo assured him were more fitting with the horror genre of games, than with fantasy. The samurai connection was obvious, along with the striking familiarity of the 'clan-based' conflicts Yukimura had referred to. This realm, then, chosen at random, seemed to be a mix of historic-based samurai conflict, a dash of horror, and a good grounding in magic as far as the weapons were concerned. The issue that immediately arose was their place, or role, in this realm.

Duo was of the opinion that the game had a set storyline - one that played out naturally no matter what sort of player entered. There would be slight variations, depending on how the player interacted with the characters, but the story itself was based around the task, and all the supporting characters played a role in forwarding the player to complete that task. The question of whether the task would be 'reset' was something, according to Duo, that only Heero would consider. He was confident that the game would remain closely locked in its original storyline no matter what they said to the characters. His experience with role-playing games told him that game characters could only venture so far from their scripted responses before they'd simply disregard strange comments made by the players.

Heero knew Duo was more familiar with games in general, but he retained his skepticism regarding possible unspoken rules. He was quick to remind his partner that this game, while sharing similarities with the role playing games Duo referred to, had an unknown origin. Who was to say the creator of the game followed the same logic found in typical video games? Quatre's disturbing speculation that the game could be of 'alien' origin remained at the front of his mind. He simply couldn't dismiss the idea as confidently as Duo had.

"I'm not saying," said Heero, "that the creators of this game were some alien beings. What I mean is that their way of thinking could be so foreign that they appear alien. Quatre's comments can't be taken at face value. I'm convinced he knows more than he's told us. His use of the world alien should be taken as a warning not to judge the game the same way you would a normal one."

"But that's the thing," Duo sighed. "Quatre would know even less about games than I do. I know for a fact that he never played games before becoming a pilot. I really doubt he'd have suddenly learned all about them in the last year. I'd know more about them than he would, and I've only played a handful."

Heero was surprised by this, considering the confident way Duo spoke of games in general, and his knowledge of the various genres and stereotypes. Duo's immediate identification of that woman's role in the game served as proof of his experience.

"I've read about them," said Duo. "And you know, I'd snag one every once in a while. They're pretty easy to predict when you've played a few. Although...I never really had time to finish any of the long ones. Too time consuming."

"I never thought about them at all," Heero admitted. "I knew they existed, but..."

Duo gave a wry smile. "You know that doesn't surprise me. I saw my first game at a cross-shop on L2, one of those really old arcade machines that charge you to push buttons and make these blocky little guys punch and kick each other to death. I didn't know they'd evolved to include actual stories till I came to Earth. And then it wasn't like I had time to just sit around and play for hours on end. I think the furthest I ever got in a game was at that boarding school, and there I had you making me shut it off so I wouldn't oversleep and miss my classes."

There was a hint of reproach in the boy's playful comment. Heero accepted it with a calm nod. "I couldn't see the point in it. I still don't."

"It's escapism," said Duo, with a fond smile for his somewhat alienated friend. "It's the same reason Trowa and Quatre would get those little smiles when they played music together. We all missed our childhoods. For me, I never forgot how I used to watch people play that arcade machine and wish I had that luxury. A few hours spent on one of those fantasy games was like getting a year of my life back."

Heero had never spent time around people his own age, not until he'd met his fellow pilots on Earth. By then, he'd become acclimated to adult behavior. The only escape method he could think of having participated in was a few stolen passages from the books in Relena's library, during his brief stay in the Sanq Kingdom. And even then, he'd rarely had more than a few minutes to read before being interrupted by someone eager to remind him of the war and his responsibilities.

"You never seemed to need an escape method," said Heero. "If you had any regrets, you didn't show it. I assumed the reason you were so...consistently happy...was to make up for not having a normal life. I don't remember you ever dropping your positive nature."

"Not if I could help it," said Duo. "But you know most of that was a front, right? If you can't find a way to escape and forget, you have to cope however you can. I never liked being alone, before the war, or during it."

He flashed Heero a wistful smile. While he didn't really like to talk about himself, it was nice to see how interested his friend was. And he reminded himself that not only had Heero spent the last year alone, he'd actually felt the loneliness that came with isolation. If someone had asked him a year ago whether or not Heero felt loneliness, he'd have laughed outright. Now he knew better, and the realization made it easier for him to admit his own doubts.

"I wasn't like you," Duo explained gently. "I didn't have that calm confidence to be...self-contained. You preferred to fight alone so you wouldn't have anyone slowing you down. Me, I saw fighting alone as part of my curse, not my choice."

Heero wanted to protest the idea that he'd enjoyed fighting by himself, but he knew he couldn't do it with any honesty. He'd seen his as a mission that only he could accomplish. He'd chosen to fight alone too many times to deny it. There had even been a time, before getting to know his fellow pilots, when he'd taken a certain satisfaction in his own expertise. Looking back, he wanted to, and did, wince at some of his post-battle reactions; laughing at how easily he'd slain his would-be enemies, smugly surveying his handiwork, and behaving in a manner that was, in retrospect, almost maniacal. But since he'd been alone at the time, no one had been there to give him an outsider's perspective. It had taken time for him to realize he was using the battles as an outlet for his own problems. Interacting with Duo and the others had changed him in more ways than they knew.

"It was better that way," Heero said slowly, "fighting my own battles. So long as I had a clear goal in sight, choosing the best method was easy. I didn't think because there was no time to think, and no reason to - I knew my mind and so long as there was no one there to question my decisions, I had no doubt to hinder me. Now..."

He dropped his eyes with a pained frown. While he had come to admit his mistakes, at least to himself, he didn't partake in regrets. He'd suffered more than enough regrets following the war, during that long year of peace and reflection.

"Now," Heero said slowly, "I wonder if things wouldn't have been easier if I'd worked more with the rest of you."

Duo could happily have hugged the boy. Of the five of them, Heero and Wufei had been the most distant, the ones who'd resisted friendship and teamwork as stubbornly as possible. For Heero to regret having been so distant was a major victory in Duo's mind. There had been more than a few instances where he'd wondered if Heero weren't right in trying to fight the war himself, without making friends who could easily be lost in the conflict. Only his decidedly stubborn decision to remain positive had kept him from giving in to those doubts. He'd convinced himself the reason Heero had so much initial trouble working with a partner was because he had no experience. Now he felt vindicated, and closer to his friend than ever before.

Not wanting to push what he saw as something of a breakthrough, Duo flashed his friend a warm smile. "If you think about it, you have a chance to really get used to teamwork now. I mean, we did pretty well when Relena was kidnapped, but this time there's no real penalty if you relax. It's not like the world will end if we screw up in the game. You can actually hang out, enjoy yourself a little. I'm still convinced friends make the best partners."

"I take it a friend wouldn't have used his partner as a distraction so he could make his own escape," Heero said slowly, with a faint smirk.

Duo waved a hand at that, his expression lofty and dismissive. "That was back when you thought fighting alone was the classy way to go. Now that you're on my side, we can work on loosening you up a bit. Games like this always allow time for the characters to interact and work out their differences. It's just like I said, partners work together better that way."

"I considered us friends despite our differences," said Heero. "Maybe even because of them. As partners, we countered each other. We still do."

It was given in such a soft voice that Duo stared in surprise. Heero met his gaze for a brief moment before looking away. Duo dropped his eyes just as quickly. Part of him wanted to laugh it off and reassure Heero that of course they were friends, and that they'd definitely balanced each other out as partners. Numerous jokes sprang to mind, ways to break the suddenly oppressive silence. He didn't use any of them.

After a short time had passed, Heero offered a comment about how late it was, and the unknowns they'd face in the morning. His tone gave the impression that he'd only been silent because he was tired, natural enough considering the day they'd had. Duo returned the sentiment with interest and even managed to muster a bright smile for his overly sober partner. Their exit from the spring was less awkward than their entrance had been, each making it a point not to so much as glance at the other until they were clothed in the comfortable robes provided by the inn. They retired for the evening in companionable, if not quite easy silence.

_**.-.  
**__**TBC**_


	5. Preliminaries

_Category: _Anime, Gundam Wing, Yaoi, Timeline-What-Timeline, Alternate Universe  
**_Minor Anime:_** Trigun, Sailor Moon, Samurai Deeper Kyo  
_Pairings:_ 1x2 main  
**_Warnings:_** shonen ai  
_Author:_ Arigatomina  
_Email:_ arigatoumina (a) hotmail . com  
_Website:_ www . geocities . com / arigatomina

**The Game**

_Part 5: "Preliminaries"_

White sheets fluttered in the afternoon breeze, humid air throwing a sweaty haze over the men battling in the center of the yard, as well as the people watching near and on the walls that lined the court. The cloths reminded Duo of bed sheets hanging up to dry. They were lined up in squares to section off parts of the yard so that multiple battles could take place at once. The tournament had started with so many participants that it had taken most of the day to just to finish the preliminaries - large group fights from which only one person would advance. Duo considered himself lucky not to have been placed in one of the 'rings' with Heero or Yukimura. Both were currently slaughtering their opponents with seeming ease.

Yukimura had surprised them the morning of the preliminaries, by showing up dressed in a pale blue kimono, his black hair arranged so that it appeared to have been cut - the longer layers pinned beneath a feminine bob that accented his cheeks. He didn't explain why he had the inclination to dress up as a woman, and neither Duo nor Heero had found a good way to broach the subject. Duo suspected it was the same reason Yukimura had asked if they knew his name, before telling them about the tournament. He was probably entering as a 'woman' to hide his identity. Why he'd need to do that, the man hadn't shared, and they hadn't asked. If the intrigue mattered in the game, they were confident Yukimura would explain himself eventually. In the meantime, they'd been more focused on the tournament.

The rules were such that anyone who killed his opponent was disqualified. To make this easier, real blades were banned from the preliminary fights. Instead, they were given round-tipped wooden sticks and ushered into the sections in groups of ten. Yukimura proved himself a swordsman with the way he used his seemingly frail wooden 'sword', knocking his opponents unconscious without breaking the blade. Heero was more akin to Duo when it came to the sticks - he dropped his the moment he was in the 'ring' and beat his way through the ranks with his fists and kicks, proving far more adept at martial arts than Duo had realized.

Duo found himself at a slight advantage when compared with the two of them. Where Yukimura and Heero had gone into their fights with all their opponents centered on them, Duo's adversaries disregarded him as a threat. They attacked each other the same way other groups were doing, without focusing on any one person. That gave Duo a nice opportunity to leisurely take out the opposition without having to do much defending. He kept his stick, which he couldn't bring himself to call a sword, and used it to bash the distracted men over the back of their heads. Sure, it lacked the style of Yukimura's swordsmanship, or the uncanny grace of Heero's fighting. But there were no rules about chivalry, and Duo didn't particularly care if some of the spectators disapproved of his approach. All that mattered was advancing to the real tournament rounds and getting the prize.

By the time Duo finished his group fight, leaving a mess of men sprawled on the packed dirt, Heero and Yukimura were waiting for him across the yard. He ducked his way through the spectators, a few of whom glanced after him with startled looks for his 'strange' clothing. There were only two groups still fighting, and Duo wasn't interested in watching them. He sent his gaze upward to the tall stone walls that circled the yard, and to pagoda beyond, where two men were watching the proceedings. One of them was the person running the tournament, a man with a funny name that Duo couldn't quite remember, no matter how many times Yukimura repeated it to him. The clan leader wasn't even looking at the yard or the remaining fighters. He was leaning against the wall and appeared to have dozed off.

Duo smirked and turned his attention back to where Heero was waiting. The preliminary round hadn't proven very interesting. With around one hundred men all fighting together, there was no one to root for or against. It wouldn't really be worth watching until the next day, when the participants were cut down to twenty or so 'established' fighters. Then, Duo would take this part of the game seriously. In the meantime, he was more interested in seeing what Yukimura had planned for their evening. The man had proven very creative in the way he'd helped them pass the time before the tournament started. They'd whiled away days on the road without a single creature or bandit attacking them. If not for their entertaining guide, Duo would have gone stir-crazy after the first day. He just hadn't expected _The Game_ to progress so slowly.

"So," Duo greeted, speaking in Japanese to keep from attracting the attention of those spectators close to them, "how does our opposition look?"

Heero shook his head and waited for Duo to drop down beside him, Yukimura leaning against the side of the tree and leaving plenty of room for the pair. Once Duo had made himself comfortable, Heero nodded to one of the spectators.

"He finished his round a few minutes ago," said Heero. "He's the only person aside from us who didn't use the weapon. His skills at hand-to-hand combat don't compare to either of us, but he's far above the rest. Also, he's hiding something large beneath that cloak. I could see the bulge on his right arm, and he was careful only to attack with the left."

Duo looked over the man, his eyebrow quirking in surprise. The stranger was tall and dressed in a cream robe that covered him from neck to feet, the collar so high it hid part of his mask. His face and hair were covered by a strange white 'animal' mask with a mane of tan 'hair' flowing back till it disappeared beneath his collar. He was the only person Duo had seen wear a mask so far. He sent a weak smile at Yukimura.

"Is that normal?" he asked. "To wear a mask like that?"

"Not usually," Yukimura smiled, his narrow eyes going over the man in question. "But in a tournament like this, it will add intrigue and mystery that may unnerve his opponents. People with something to hide are people to watch out for."

"Like you, right?" Duo teased. "You might be dressed like a woman, but you still don't look it. Need a little more padding there."

The slender man gasped playfully and adjusted the top of his kimono, as if he had something to hide. While his waist lended itself to the 'slender woman' disguise, his flat chest seemed overly obvious to Duo. He couldn't see why people weren't staring at the man. He supposed what Yukimura had claimed was true - that any woman participating in a tournament would bind herself to avoid inconvenience and unsavory proposals. Duo still considered the spectators morons for not seeing right through the outfit. Yukimura might have been slender, but there was no hiding his lithe muscles, especially when his kimono had no sleeves to speak of.

"Aside from the masked man," Yukimura commented, "the rest of the participants appear surprisingly weak. I can only assume the strong ones are biding their time. Some of the opponents I expected to encounter are not here. I suspect your presence, instead of Kyo-san, is to blame for that, along with the fact that the tournament is being held a week sooner than it should have been."

Heero and Duo exchanged a sharp look at that, Duo shifting uncomfortably.

Yukimura had been dropping increasingly stronger hints about the 'changes' their presence had made on things. So far they hadn't addressed any of his comments, and he hadn't offered any speculation as to why things were changing. What he had done was make it clear to them that he knew they had 'replaced' Kyo, and that while he wouldn't push them to explain, he wouldn't pretend not to notice, either. It was a strange impasse. Yukimura seemed to be encouraging them to talk about the game, which just didn't make sense considering he was a part of the game himself. It ruined Duo's earlier claim that 'game characters' were limited to an established script. No game character in a 'normal' game would ask the player to tell him more about the game.

After a few moments of silence, Yukimura invited them to quit the tournament yard. The last two matches had finished and while he admitted the spectators would mill around till nightfall, he didn't see any need for them to remain. Once again, he invited them to share an inn at his expense, and they agreed out of necessity. It had occurred to Heero that having no money in the game put them at the mercy of their guide, but so far Yukimura hadn't done anything to betray that trust. Heero had no choice but to believe Duo's claim that when they needed money, the game would present them with an opportunity to make some.

That evening found them once more ensconced in a rural inn, which, Duo cheekily noted, was almost an exact replica of the first one they'd stayed at. Yukimura passed the comment off with a light explanation that there was little reason for builders of purposed facilities to experiment, and a gentle reminder that this one, having been built to service visitors of the castle, hadn't been placed over a hotspring. This inn received business due to its location, with no need for extravagance to lure in visitors. That was, Yukimura claimed, the reason the amenities were so stark. People passing through the area had only one inn to stay at, so the owner could charge however much he chose without supplying more than the basic necessities.

Duo didn't argue with the man. He was still convinced the 'model' of the inn would be the same no matter where in this 'game realm' they went. It was the same repetitiveness he'd noticed in the crowd of spectators at the tournament. While there were a number of original looking people, the majority had seemed to look alike. It could have been due to the region, as Heero surmised, given that this was 'fuedal Japan' before the borders opened to allow mixed blood and cultural changes. Duo just had trouble believing the 'inhabitants' could all look so similar by nature. He was quick to point out to Heero that Sasuke didn't look anything like the 'unnamed' game characters. In Duo's mind, that was proof that the game was more creative with important characters, and that it used 'stock images' for insignificant ones.

As always, Heero found it difficult to argue with Duo, even when he was confident his own views were more accurate. He didn't waste more than a few minutes debating the subject. The game's character and building designs were more an issue of curiosity than importance. Like the meals, those minor details seemed to exist only to make the realm appear realistic. None of it had an effect on their ultimate task. They both agreed on that point. The game had added so much of what Duo called 'filler,' that they'd already spent days doing next to nothing. Heero was beginning to understand what his partner had meant about games allowing time for characters to get used to each other.

The lack of rush and danger since that first encounter made this first task seem like a strange vacation. While Heero wouldn't admit it out loud, he was starting to drop his guard and actually enjoy himself. Just watching the spectators earlier, with their historically accurate clothing and visages, had been interesting. If it weren't for Duo's short attention span, Heero could happily have stayed on the yard and observed the 'people' for hours. He simply didn't like the idea of Duo being separated from him, even if he were with Yukimura. Or rather, especially if Duo were with Yukimura.

The man had a playful nature that Heero found unnerving. This was especially evident when the man was drinking, which he seemed to do quite often. By the time they settled themselves at the inn, Heero was doubly glad he'd stuck close to his partner.

Sasuke, who had gone off somewhere during the preliminary round of the tournament, showed up shortly after they finished their evening meal. He took up a bored position, leaning against the wall in the shadows of the porch, and watching the moonlit forest facing the inn. He'd yet to say more than three words to Duo and Heero, so they'd grown accustomed to his silent presence.

Yukimura beamed back at the boy and held his sake jug up in a teasing salute. Then he turned to the two foreigners seated beside him on the low porch. He'd just been in the middle of convincing Heero to try some of the liquor. Now that he had Sasuke as an audience, his smile shifted from playful to outright flirtatious. He quickly included Duo in the offer.

"I don't know," Duo said slowly, sending a teasing look at Heero. "I don't think my partner would approve."

"And do you always listen to your partner?" asked Yukimura. "Good sake is difficult to come by these days. Think how long it might be before you get another opportunity to sample some. I'm sure if Kyo-san were here, he wouldn't be adverse to sharing a drink with me. It's a shame things have become so distorted in such a short amount of time. Why…imagine what else might change if I were forced to drink alone the night before the tournament…!"

A low muttered 'baka' sounded from the silver-haired boy watching them. Heero turned to look at him. Sasuke met his gaze and rolled his eyes, telling him without words that Yukimura was just being his normal teasing self. Heero shifted his resigned gaze back to Duo.

He ended Yukimura's flirtatious offer by picking up one of the little saucer-sized cups and holding it out pointedly. This earned him a blindingly bright smile from the black-haired man, and a surprised stare from Duo. Heero gave his partner what he hoped was a casual look.

"I've never tried sake," said Heero, "but it can't be any stronger than other things we've…tried…in the past."

Duo grinned at the glint in Heero's eyes. He knew exactly what the boy was referring to, those drugs and substances they'd been tested against before becoming pilots. He didn't know if the others had been trained to withstand mind-altering substances, but he and Heero had both been exposed to strange mixtures by their doctors. It wasn't likely that a little alcohol would be enough to affect either of them. And besides that, this would be a good opportunity to see how the things they consumed in the game affected them.

That last bit was a rather weak rationalization that Duo only thought of on the off chance that he'd have to explain himself later. The real reason he wanted to try the drink was simply because he could. It was early enough in the day that even if he were to get drunk, he'd be able to sleep it off and be fine by the time the tournament started the next day. He wanted to enjoy this 'vacation' before he and Heero rejoined Wolfwood and had Quatre keeping watch over their actions. He really doubted Quatre would let them get drunk. Plus, he was curious to see what a drunken Heero was like. Even if there was only a small chance of alcohol affecting Heero, it was a chance he didn't want to miss.

Heero's reasons were simpler. He wanted to show Duo that he was willing and able to 'hang out' and 'enjoy himself'. At least, he was willing to pretend. He had no intention of dropping his guard to the point where his reaction time would be dampened and his judgment impaired. The moment he felt the slightest buzz from the surprisingly strong alcohol, he stopped drinking it.

He continued to sip at the little saucer, partly because Duo was paying close attention to him, mostly so he wouldn't be expected to speak. As he'd expected, given how quickly Duo burned off calories, his partner had a much lower tolerance for the drug than he did. The difference was that the alcohol made him feel uncomfortably warm after only a few drinks, while Duo looked about the same as he always did. The boy might have smiled a little easier, but he didn't slur his speech or tug at his collar the way Heero was tempted to do.

It wasn't until Duo's cheeks began to display a telling pink flush that Heero decided he had to intervene. He was spared the trouble by Sasuke, who'd stood back so silently that Heero had once again forgotten his presence. That distracted him for a moment, the fact that he'd actually forgotten there was a near stranger standing mere feet from him, at his back, no less. He quickly came to the conclusion that the alcohol had affected him more than he'd suspected.

Duo and Yukimura stared after the boy, who'd morosely stopped the festivities by taking the last jug of sake and walking into the forest with it. Yukimura let out a pouting complaint against spoiled shinobi who went out of their way to spoil his fun, just because they passed out from a mere whiff of alcohol. He then pushed off the porch with a wink for Duo, a wave to Heero, and a warning that they'd see him at the tournament the next day, not before.

Heero frowned at the shadowed forest the man had disappeared into. He couldn't help but notice that Yukimura's walk was every bit as graceful and controlled as it had been during the preliminary battles. Despite his having consumed two jugs of sake, the man didn't look the least bit drunk. And it struck Heero as suspicious that Sasuke had taken away the remaining alcohol, just when he'd made up his mind that Duo didn't need any more of it. He had a nagging suspicion that the two strangers had planned their departure in advance.

Duo sighed beside him, and Heero flashed the boy a quick look. "Are you tired?"

"I'm drunk," Duo admitted, with a guilty laugh. "And you're not. I figured he'd be drinking for at least another hour, so there'd be plenty of time to get you plastered. But there I went and blew it. Now I'll never know what you're like when you're drunk."

"I'm uncomfortable."

Duo winced at that, embarrassment rising to join the guilt on his face. "Because I drank too much? You should have said something. I wouldn't have drank so much if I knew it bothered you."

Heero blinked for a second before shaking away the apology. "No, you didn't bother me. I meant that's what I felt from drinking the sake. It made me uncomfortable. If I'd gotten drunk, I'd have felt worse. I avoid things like that, so it feels strange and disturbing. It's all right for you to relax. As long as one of us is sober, we're safe."

"Yeah..."

Duo sighed and flashed his partner a wistful smile. He was still disappointed at the wasted opportunity, and he knew it was very unfair of him to have enjoyed himself while Heero watched on. If nothing else, he'd hoped Heero might have gotten a bit jealous of all the attention Yukimura had lavished on him. As irritated as Heero had been over Wolfwood, he'd thought the boy would show some sort of reaction to Yukimura's blatant flirting. Now all he had was weak knees and the knowledge that Heero was sober while he wasn't thinking clearly and probably looked like a little kid who couldn't hold his liquor.

"I should probably go to bed so I don't have a headache in the morning," Duo sighed. "I don't want you to think I'm completely irresponsible."

The boy pushed to his feet and Heero hurried to do the same. He opened his mouth to tell Duo that he didn't consider him irresponsible. If he had to admit that he'd found the boy's carefree smiles and unrestrained behavior endearing, then he was ready to do so. He was saved from having to say anything. Duo wavered on his feet and flashed wide surprised eyes at him. Heero almost smiled as he stepped over to steady his partner.

"I guess I drank more than I thought," said Duo, his expression more startled than embarrassed. "My legs feel like mush…!"

Heero gave in to a slight smirk and pulled Duo's arm over his shoulder so he could support him back to their room. His partner flushed a little at needing the help, and Heero was again tempted to tell him how he'd viewed the evening.

Watching Duo laugh with Yukimura had reminded him of the old days aboard Peacmillion, during those slight breaks in the battles, stolen moments where Duo and Quatre had done their best to forget everything and just smile until the rest of them either accepted the distraction or watched on with secretly fond eyes. Heero knew for a fact that Wufei had watched them the same way he had. There was something reassuring about friends who could simply smile and laugh, when the natural course would be silent brooding over the troubles ahead. Heero might not have appreciated Yukimura's flirting, but it was worth it to see Duo relax and enjoy himself. It wasn't as if a game character could actually steal his best friend from him.

Duo seemed to lose most of his embarrassment by the time they reached their room. Heero suspected it was because the boy was beginning to get groggy and wasn't really aware of his surroundings. Whatever the reason, it meant Duo had gone from avoiding his gaze to beaming at him as if they shared a secret. Heero found himself offering a light smile in return.

"You know," Duo started, "I can't think of anyone I'd rather have around when I'm out of it. You're dependable, and I mean that in a good way, not a boring way."

The slight hint of a slur in Duo's voice brought a smirk to Heero's face. He responded with an amused thanks, aware that Duo had tagged on the 'not boring' because he usually used the word as if it were an insult – telling Heero he wasn't nearly spontaneous enough. Heero prided himself on being steadfast, dependable, and he rather liked the fact that right now Duo needed him to be dependable. Usually Duo could take care of himself as well as he could.

Duo smiled at him and wrapped him in a warm embrace. Usually Heero's first reaction would be to rebuke the gesture and respond to it as teasing, like Duo's fondness for tossing an arm over his shoulders or ruffling his naturally tousled hair. This time Heero was certain the gesture was uninhibited affection. His face heated a little, but he returned the hug with a small smile he wouldn't have had if Duo had been sober. As much as they exchanged banter, and teasing remarks, he couldn't remember ever actually hugging Duo. It was a pleasant sensation, almost as nice as when he'd first spotted Duo on the satellite, like coming home.

_**.-.  
**__**TBC**_


	6. Mission complete

_Category:_ Anime, Gundam Wing, Yaoi, Timeline-What-Timeline, Alternate Universe  
**_Minor Anime:_** Trigun, Sailor Moon, Samurai Deeper Kyo  
_Pairings:_ 1x2 main  
**_Warnings_**: shonen ai  
_Author:_ Arigatomina  
_Email:_ arigatoumina (a) hotmail . com  
_Website: _www . geocities . com / arigatomina

**The Game**

_Part 6: "Mission complete"_

Despite having gone to bed early the night before, Duo did have a significant headache when he woke up. He considered it very lucky that his partner was an early riser. He had nearly four hours to 'walk it off', as Heero recommended. If his friend hadn't smirked at him the entire time, he might have been grateful for the advice.

Yukimura didn't meet them that morning, which surprised Duo, who didn't really recall how the evening had closed. Heero had just explained the man's absence when a stranger introduced himself on behalf of their missing host. Their first reaction was suspicion, but after the man treated them to breakfast, they were more willing to believe his story.

Saizo was a tall, slender man with long black hair that was held back from his face by a dark blue scarf and a band over his forehead. His pale skin and dark eyes made him look similar to Yukimura, but he was quick to deny any blood relation. The fact that he sported a dark blush when he denied it made Duo smirk and elbow Heero with a pointed look. Duo had an idea he knew where Yukimura had gotten off to the night before. He was pleased to see that Heero responded to his teasing with a visible smile. However badly he might have acted in his drunken stupor the night before, Heero didn't seem to think any less of him. If anything, his friend appeared to be more at ease than he'd been since they started the game.

Their impromptu host detailed the day's events, explaining that Yukimura had sent him to make sure they were warned. The preliminaries allowed everyone who wanted to compete, so the danger was minimized. The actual tournament was a series of matches from which one of two people would advance. Anyone who was killed, knocked out of the 'ring', or rendered incapable of fighting, lost the match. There were no rules about weapons, so they were to be prepared for adversaries with hidden weapons and techniques.

"You have Kyo's Muramasa, don't you?" asked Saizo. "Yukimura-sama said to make sure you're willing to use it, or to leave it out of the match. You won't be able to win this with your bare hands. You'll need to bring a weapon you're able to use. For that…"

Saizo pulled a small cylinder that had been strapped to his back and offered it to Duo, not minding the boy's doubtful expression. Once Duo was holding it, he showed him how to activate the weapon by turning the center ring. The cylinder promptly extended into a staff.

"It should be strong enough to withstand a blade," said Saizo, "but only if you can use a staff. Yukimura-sama didn't think you were comfortable with a sword."

"I'm not," Duo admitted. He hefted the staff with a surprised smile. "Now if this just had a scythe at the end, I'd be set."

"It'll have to suffice for now," said Heero. "If one of your opponents uses something you can't counter, step out of the zone. It doesn't matter which one of us wins this tournament, so long as one of us does. With my cannon, there's no need for you to endanger yourself."

Duo shot him a light scowl that Heero was careful to ignore.

"This isn't a matter of pride," Heero continued. "We have a mission, so we should work together to accomplish it. It doesn't matter who plays the largest role."

"Oh," Duo scoffed, "now you're being a team player. That's convenient."

Heero smirked in return, having spotted the glint of humor in Duo's eyes. "Just taking your advice."

"Of course you are," Duo smiled back, with a saccharine tone. "You're just sweet and considerate like that."

"Ano…"

The two boys turned to find Saizo watching them with a light blush on his face. He was standing in the grass a few feet from the porch, and he dropped his eyes with an uncomfortable look. "You just reminded me of something I'm supposed to ask you two…"

Duo exchanged a wary look with Heero before prodding the man to continue.

"Are you lovers?" Saizo ground out, his face flaming red.

Duo choked in surprise, and Heero cocked his head to the side as if he thought he'd misheard the question. Saizo jumped and waved his hands at them, edging toward the forest and bowing at the same time.

"Sumimasen!" he blurted. "You don't have to dignify that with an answer. Yukimura-sama told me to ask, but you don't have to say a word. I have to go now. Gomen nasai – that is – it was a pleasure meeting you both!"

The tall man escaped so quickly he might have been a waft of smoke blown away in the breeze. Heero blinked and raised an eyebrow at Duo. His partner let out a choked titter that might have been a laugh on a good day.

"I knew Yukimura was a pervert," Duo grinned. "How much do you want to bet he made him ask us just because he knew it would make him blush like that? It's twisted."

"Mm," Heero breathed, not having anything to say in response. For a moment he'd been wondering what he and Duo had done to make Yukimura think they might be lovers. Now he was sure Duo was right, and that the question had spawned not from a misunderstanding, but from Yukimura's twisted sense of humor. He shook his head and pushed to his feet.

"I don't think he'll be back," said Heero. "Yukimura said he'd meet us at the tournament. We should head over there now."

Although there were far fewer contestants on the yard, the number of spectators had increased significantly. They were now crowded in every free space available. Heero found Yukimura waiting for them under the tree where they'd sat the day before. There wasn't time for more than a brief greeting. The matches began a few minutes later.

The lots were drawn randomly, and Duo was annoyed to find that his fight would be late in the day. He already had Heero's insulting advice to 'stand down' if he found himself up against a dangerous opponent. Now he had to wait all day just to meet his opponent. The name wasn't familiar to him – none of the names were – but Yukimura told him it was the masked man they'd noticed yesterday. Unfortunately, that man wasn't anywhere to be seen on the yard. Duo settled down with a very irritated scowl. It would be just his luck if his opponent decided not to show.

As it turned out, Duo didn't have to wait to find out if his match would take place or not. Heero stopped the tournament in its track the moment he won his own fight.

It was a strange battle from the start since Heero's opponent used some sort of technique that made him appear to have more than one body. The move was something Duo immediately considered magic, and he ignored Yukimura's whispered explanation that it was a legitimate technique without any grounding in demon work. Whatever the technique was, Heero had seen right through it. He'd use his cannon on all of the 'bodies' except one – the real one. His opponent had wasted little time backing out of the boundaries and forfeiting his match. That was understandable after seeing what that cannon had done to the 'fake' bodies. The problem came when Heero lowered his canon and accepted the forfeit.

There were clicks from the walls surrounding the yard and murmurs from the crowd watching the tournament. The man who'd lost the match froze in place, his face turned to stare up at the pagoda, where the man in charge of the tournament was giving a dark glare. Heero stiffened and shot a look of disbelief at the wall nearest him. A dozen men with rifles were lined up on the circling wall, all of them aiming for the loser of the match.

Yukimura eased closer to Duo, his eyes dark and steely. "I suspected as much."

"What?" Duo demanded, his eyes flicking from one rifle to the next. "What are they doing?"

"No one will walk away from this tournament," said Yukimura. "They'd break their own rules to make sure of it. Maybe you didn't notice, but none of the losers from the preliminaries are here today. All have been killed, or turned into demons, both of which mean the same thing. If Heero doesn't kill that man, the guards will. They may even kill them both."

Duo jolted forward, meaning to warn Heero. Yukimura caught him by the arm and slung him to the ground. Duo was so startled he didn't have time to so much as glare before the sharp tip of a sword was pressed to his throat.

"Don't," Yukimura said softly, with a sad sort of smile. "If you separate from the crowd, they'll kill you before you can say a word to warn him. My shadows will take as many as they can. I'm sure Heero is fast enough to dodge the rest, assuming he doesn't use his cannon to end the standoff himself."

Duo lifted a hand to push the sword away and found the tip pressed tighter till it almost pricked his neck. "Are you trying to protect me, or kill me!"

"Don't rise too quickly," warned Yukimura, his eyes glinting with dark amusement. He slowly removed the sword and flashed an unbelievably affable smile. Then he pulled Duo carefully to his feet. "As far as the guards know," he murmured, "I just stopped you from attempting to save the loser of that match. Don't give them a reason to shoot you."

"I wasn't planning to," Duo ground out, glaring hatefully at the man who'd as much as proven himself untrustworthy and extremely dangerous.

Duo turned worried eyes on Heero, who was now standing with his beam cannon aimed at the loser of the match. He knew there was no way his partner would kill someone who'd forfeited, but he couldn't see an easy way out of the predicament. If Heero shot one of the guards – even if he fired his cannon in an arc and took them out one by one – the other guards would fire after the first blast. And what if Heero did manage to kill all of the guards? What would happen to the tournament, the 'prize,' the task of the game? What if the player was _supposed_ to kill his enemy?

Duo couldn't look at the loser, standing there unarmed and defenseless with a beam cannon and a dozen rifles aimed at him, his eyes wide and fearful. Whether he was a game created character or not, the fear on his face was real. He was confident Heero wouldn't kill that man any more than he would have.

There was a clatter and a thump as one of the guards suddenly pitched forward and fell from the wall to land in the yard. A crack followed, a plume of dust rising from the ground where the loser had been standing. Heero had lunged forward in time to knock the man back. Now he fired his cannon at the guards on his left, at the same time as another body fell from his right. And a rapid series of shots were fired from the middle of the clustered spectators. People panicked, ducking to the ground to avoid being caught in the crossfire. In a matter of seconds all of the guards were lying like rags dripping blood down the wall, or piled in twisted death on the ground below.

The spectators fell into a disorderly stampede that probably would have left Duo a flattened smear if Yukimura hadn't had his sword drawn and held at a threatening angle. The people gave them a wide birth, and Duo edged back enough that he was sure that Yukimura wouldn't be able to touch him. Then he darted to the side and dodged through the crowd. He was crouched next to Heero a moment later, no longer caring if Yukimura noticed his absence.

"I'm fine," Heero said, not waiting for Duo to voice the question written all over his worried face. He stood and watched as the man he'd been shielding beat a hasty retreat, with no more than a cursory bow of gratitude.

Duo slumped in relief and fought an urge to hug Heero and yell at him for looking so calm when he'd almost been splattered by a genuine firing squad. Heero stiffened and stepped in front of him, his cannon aimed at someone across the yard from them. The spectators had fled completely, so it was easy to spot where those rapid shots had come from earlier. Yukimura was talking with the masked contestant who was to have been Duo's opponent. A few minutes later the two approached them, Yukimura with a smile, the other man with a very large machine gun that appeared to be built around his right forearm.

"Now aren't you glad you didn't get to fight?" Yukimura asked, in a teasing greeting to Duo. The boy shot him a dark glare, and he blinked in surprise. "Still angry that I kept you from running to your death, I see. Well, that can't be helped. Your friend here tells me he didn't plan to show up for the match. It seems he didn't want to fight you. I can't imagine why."

"I guess I've just never been fond of killing friends," the masked man said. Duo and Heero rounded on him before he even got the mask off. He'd no more than dropped it before Duo was circling him with startled laughter.

"Why didn't you say something yesterday!" Duo demanded. "And what the hell happened to you…? You look like shit."

Heero shook his head in dull surprise, not bothering to approach the man or Duo. He'd recognized Wolfwood's voice the moment the man spoke, but his appearance was vastly different from what he'd expected. The enormous gun attached to his right arm was strange enough, with its circular barrel having chambers for bullets as well as a larger center chamber for what was either a missile or a cannon. Even more striking was that the man looked six years older than he had mere days ago. His pale skin had darkened into a rusty tan that looked oddly right on him. And his face was as roughened as any of Quatre's younger Maguanacs. Heero shook his head again.

"You try walking for days with no shade," Wolfwood was saying, "and see how good you look. It's a shame they don't have sunglasses here. I've been squinting so much I think my eyes have frozen like that."

"Well, you got your weapon," Duo grinned, his eyes roving over that large gun. "It's almost as cool as Heero's." His grin faded after a moment, and he frowned suddenly. "And I just lost mine…"

"What do you mean?" Quatre's voice spoke up sharply from the blue band that was now on Wolfwood's left wrist. "Your team is the closest to completing the first task. There's no reason to assume you've failed already. The game will warn you if that happens."

The clipped English words coming from thin air sent Yukimura stumbling away with wide, wary eyes. Heero and Duo stiffened at what they saw as a big mistake on Quatre's part. Wolfwood turned to Yukimura and found himself blinking at the tip of a long narrow sword. Saizo and Sasuke appeared to have materialized on the spot, both in position to defend Yukimura from the perceived threat. The silver-haired boy was crouched with his glinting sword ready to dispatch Wolfwood at the slightest provocation.

"Nice one," Duo muttered in English, scowling down at the blue band on Wolfwood's wrist. "What? You didn't think things were messed up enough? Now our only guide in this place thinks we're demons."

Quatre responded with a defensive tone, but he spoke in Japanese this time. "You should have explained your circumstances. If you complete this task, it will be in your best interest to have your current guide aware of the situation. You can hardly import a character if he doesn't even understand the game. The first task you used him on, you'd have to spend an hour or two just explaining the help you need from him. This is why I didn't want the three of you to separate. Hopefully we can clear this misunderstanding without violence."

Sasuke had pulled back at the sound of Quatre's voice, his expression almost dumbfounded. He spoke up before Heero could respond to Quatre's revelation. "Is that an instrument to communicate, or a talisman?" Wolfwood didn't respond fast enough, so he set his sword down again, this time with the sharp edge aimed at the blue band, and the wrist it was currently attached to. His golden eyes narrowed. "Which is it?"

"A communication device," said Wolfwood. "It won't harm anyone."

Sasuke stepped back so he stood on Yukimura's right, his sword held casually propped on his shoulder. "Weird. I've never seen that before."

Saizo was still standing defensively in front of Yukimura, who calmly nudged him aside so he could approach the source of that voice. Yukimura flashed a reproachful look at Heero. Then he tilted his head to the side and smiled at Wolfwood.

"This has to do with your partners being _'players,'_ I take it," said Yukimura. "They've been very closemouthed about their presence here."

"Wait," Duo blurted, flashing a look from Yukimura to Wolfwood. "Quatre, are you saying we're _supposed_ to tell characters about the game?"

"I told him you wouldn't," said Wolfwood. "It would have been better if he'd explained that when we first entered."

"Well," Quatre said sharply, his tone more defensive than ever, "if the three of you had stayed together, I _would_ have told you. But there's no point arguing over it now. Explain as much as you can while you work to complete the task. One of the other teams has already suffered a casualty. I'd rather not see the same happen with this group."

Duo gaped, taken back by the strange tone and behavior of someone he'd have sworn was above such pettiness. He'd never heard Quatre talk like that, and he couldn't understand what could have happened to turn one of his closest friends into a complete stranger. He glanced at Heero and was relieved to find his partner sharing a similar look of suspicion and surprise. Whatever had changed Quatre, it had been a change for the worse. They wouldn't take anything he said on face value until they learned more about his involvement with _The Game_.

Wolfwood lifted his left arm, but Heero stopped him from removing the band. He shook his head and turned away, making it clear that he didn't want to switch just yet. Heero approached Yukimura and frowned at the man. Once again he was suspicious of the man's glinting smile. Now he knew why Yukimura had pressed them about the game – the game itself had probably designed the characters so they would encourage the players to explain. They'd simply been too stubborn to realize it was an intentional ploy.

Yukimura took most of the explanation well, at least the part about how they'd 'replaced' Kyo, and the fact that they would be leaving after they completed their 'task'. They were confident that once they finished, Kyo would either return, or things would be 'reset'. Either way, the effects their presence had on this realm probably wouldn't last. Yukimura offered a hypothesis that they were 'altering' reality, much like a certain 'meteor' had to his own world not too long ago. He didn't bother to explain what he meant by that.

The tournament yard had been silent since the exodus of the spectators. It was Saizo who explained that the clan leader had undoubtedly taken refuge in the pagoda to await reinforcements. If they wanted to steal the 'prize,' they would do best to advance as soon as possible. Yukimura agreed to that and stepped over to drop a hand on Sasuke's head, the boy scowling in response.

"Perhaps we can prevent the reinforcements from interrupting us," said Yukimura, his eyes on Heero and the others, but his voice directed at Sasuke. "Saizo can accompany me for now."

Sasuke snorted and flashed a smirk at the man in question, who was currently looking at his feet with a faint blush. "Wakatta. No one will get past the forest."

The boy ducked away from Yukimura's hand and slipped his sword into the sheath strapped to his back. A moment later he disappeared in a flicker of speed. Heero and Duo stared at the spot where he'd been, and Wolfwood rubbed his left hand over his eyes with a wry smile.

"He's fast," said Wolfwood. "Not human, is he?"

"Not entirely," Yukimura smiled pleasantly. "Now let's see about finding that treasure. I'm curious to see what will happen if you complete this…task of yours."

Yukimura led the way across the yard, Saizo darting off to shadow their progress from a distance. Duo and Heero fell back behind Wolfwood, their eyes meeting once again.

Neither of them knew what to make of Quatre's revelation about game characters. Duo had a suspicion the boy meant they would 'import' characters into other tasks, but he didn't want to ask Quatre while Yukimura was within hearing range. And after the tone Quatre had taken with them, he wasn't sure he even wanted to talk to the boy. Instead of dwelling on that, he glanced at Heero and thought about the brief explanation his partner had given Yukimura. He hadn't said much, just that they were from a different place, and that they'd come here to complete a mission.

What was strange was how easily Yukimura had accepted it, as if impossible things happened so regularly in this realm that they weren't telling him anything difficult to believe. And maybe that was the case. They had encountered a monster, and from what Yukimura had just said, one of the man's comrades wasn't human, at least, not entirely human. There was also the issue of the weapons, and the strange magic that fighter had used during Heero's match. Duo didn't know if he believed Yukimura's easy acceptance stemmed from the unusual realm itself, or from the fact that he was a game character programmed to service the players. As much time as they'd spent around the man, it was easy to forget he wasn't as 'real' as he appeared to be.

Heero nodded in response to Duo's furtive look. He was sure their minds were on the same thing, and he was glad Duo didn't feel the need to speak his thoughts out loud. Not only did he feel a need to be on guard now that Quatre could hear them, he also had a sinking suspicion that the game itself could hear them. He'd been wondering about the weapons – the moment he saw that Wolfwood had been given a gun, albeit a strange multifunctional gun, he'd made a connection.

The Muramasa shifted to fit its owner. So how would it know what was best for the owner? He and Duo had spoken about their own preferred weapons, so if the game were listening, they'd know it once they found the last Muramasa. If it shifted into the weapon Heero suspected it would, he'd have one more clue to how the game functioned. He had an idea it was monitoring them the same way Quatre and the programmer were. Maybe it had even heard what they'd said in the 'guide' area. Duo had wanted the fantasy door, and Wolfwood had wanted the gunslinger. Well, this realm had both aspects. That was quite a coincidence.

The moment they stepped foot inside the entrance to the Japanese castle, the earth shook beneath them. A tingling sensation started up on Heero's back, and a high pitched honing sound erupted from both his and Wolfwood's weapons. They stopped in their tracks and Heero pulled his cannon free to stare at the shivering light pulsing through it.

"Now I'm convinced the prize is a Muramasa," said Yukimura, with a glinting smile. "A true Muramasa is said to resonate with its kin. There are a total of five true Muramasas in this world. Three of them have now entered this castle."

"Five?" asked Duo. "Then…if we can't get this one-"

"We'll get it," said Heero. "I'm sure of it."

Duo glanced over and was surprised by the small, almost secretive smile Heero was wearing. He didn't comment on the expression, but it made him want to smile in appreciation. Heero looked good with a devious smile, really good.

"In that case, what are we waiting for?"

Saizo reappeared once they resumed their search, now with Heero and Wolfwood leading the way. Their weapons continued to resonate, telling them when they took a wrong turn down one of the dark halls. Yukimura made the astute observation that the tremors earlier had come from the earth itself, so the Muramasa was likely underground. It didn't take long for them to find an entrance to the tunnels below the castle. At that point they moved by the light pulses of Heero and Wolfwood's weapons, dim flashes in the otherwise black earthy tunnel.

It was unreasonably cold below. Duo pulled his coat close around him and winced in sympathy at Yukimura's thin kimono. The man didn't seem to notice the drop in temperature. He was looking around him with casual curiosity, and he smiled when he noticed Duo's attention on him.

"It's odd," said Yukimura. "No one is standing to resist us. There should have been personal guards stationed around the treasure. But I suppose that's another result of your presence here. Things have been skewed in your favor. Such unreasonably good luck, I take it this is your first 'task' so far?"

Duo nodded reluctantly, still uncomfortable at the thought of talking _about_ the game to someone _in_ the game. "The next one will probably be a lot more difficult."

"Naturally," smiled Yukimura.

The tunnel opened into a slight detour, a curve in the wall with a wide wooden door set into it and chains and small white papers shielding it from being opened. Heero approached it and was almost thrown away. Those little papers sizzled the moment he came near in a visible flash of pale blue light.

"This treasure has been a curse upon the family," Yukimura explained. "It's said only a blood member can approach it. But like everything else, I'm sure that won't apply in your case." He flashed a taunting smirk at Duo, who almost stuck his tongue out in response.

"I'm up, then," said Duo. "Blast the door open and I'll _'approach'_ it. Just try not to cause a cave in. It's too cold to be buried down here."

Heero nodded and they stepped back into the tunnel so he would have plenty of room to use his beam cannon. He fired a short burst, aiming for the top of the door. He was worried that he might accidentally damage whatever lay within the room if he fired a direct shot. The white energy from his cannon sparked on the little slips of paper, as if it were an energy shield. Then he increased the strength of the beam and the door exploded in a flurry of wooden bits. He threw his arm up to keep the sharper pieces from slicing his face.

The dust settled and they could see the sword. It was held in a small enclave by dark metal chains, and it pulsed with a deep pink shade, the rhythm matching that of Heero and Wolfwood's weapons. Duo approached it with a somewhat distasteful frown.

"Pink," Duo muttered to himself. "They get white and I get pink, how screwed up is that?"

He picked his way through the remains of that door and noticed how the torn slips of white paper sparked when he stepped over them. Since it was rather hot in the little alcove, he expected the sword to be burning to the touch. Or maybe it would spark and try to electrocute him the moment he touched it. Duo stopped in front of the bound sword and reached a tentative hand for the hilt, steeling himself for whatever shock or reaction the sword would give.

There was a tingling, heated sensation as his hand curled over the hilt. That pulsing pink light faded into a dark purplish shade. And the chains crumbled in a shower of rust and dust. Duo lifted the sword and waited. He was confident it would change shapes. It had to, because there was no way he'd be stuck with a sword when Heero and Wolfwood had cool cannons. After a moment he turned to look over his shoulder at the others. Heero gestured for him to bring the weapon out of the room.

Duo exited irritably, still waiting for his weapon to perform some magical transformation. He was just about ready to start griping – probably at Heero since he'd gotten his weapon first – when that tingle lit back up in his arm. He grinned and lifted the sword, watching as it glowed and shifted. It lengthened and appeared to melt into a staff. He lifted it higher and concentrated on the curved tip. Sure enough a beam of dark blue-green energy arced out to form a proper scythe. Duo flashed a smug smirk at Heero.

"Done," Duo said brightly. "Now how am I supposed to carry it around?"

Saizo approached and reminded him of the retractable staff he'd loaned him earlier. Sure enough, his new weapon had a similar mechanism on the grip. When turned, it shifted the staff down into a one foot long cylinder of smooth black material, possibly onyx. Duo stored it on the belt Saizo had given him, and returned the other cylinder with a cheerful smile.

"Congratulations," Quatre spoke up. His tone was soft and happy, without the slightest hint of that petulance he'd displayed earlier. "I knew your group would succeed."

"So that's it?" asked Duo. "What now?"

Duo had been looking at Wolfwood, so he had a good view of Yukimura, who was standing behind the taller man. He'd no sooner finished asking the question than Yukimura faded. It was as if the man were a hologram slowly losing substance. The dark dirt tunnel faded along with him. Duo whipped around in time to see Saizo disappear in the same slow manner. A moment later he was standing with Heero and Wolfwood in a familiar purple room.

The pillar of purple fire tinted a dark blue shade and Setsuna appeared from the midst to smile at them. The dark green highlights in her hair now contrasted prettily with her outfit. Her short dress had shifted to a shady blue to match the flames she was standing in.

"Congratulations on completing the first task," said Setsuna.

She waved a hand at them, and they turned to see a dark blue doorway behind them. It was identical to the other doorways except for the color of the 'void' it led to. And the title above was written in silver etchings. Heero quietly translated it as _'Samurai'_. They were surprised to see that they'd exited from a different door than the one they'd entered. The portal for _'Random'_ was now across the fire, on the other side of the room.

"There are multiple realms for each of the initial categories," Quatre explained. "In order to reach some of the rarer samurai realms, you have a better chance if you go through _'Random.'_ We're constructing a map of the known realms, but so far we haven't found any better way to reach them than using _'Random.'_ You'll choose that next."

The boy sounded eager for them to continue with the game. Heero's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "How long were we in that realm? Does time run the same on the outside?"

"Mostly," Quatre answered reluctantly. "If all the players are unconscious at once, sleeping for example, no matter how long they're out only a moment passes in reality."

"Like a sweep," said Duo, "or a fade to black to mark time passing."

"Correct," said Quatre. "Now, then. If you're ready to proceed…"

Heero and Duo exchanged a look, both noting how impatient Quatre sounded. It was clear to them that their friend didn't want them to ask any more questions. They wouldn't push him for now, but they reached an unspoken agreement to pay careful attention to his behavior as their interface. Luckily, Wolfwood didn't seem the least bit suspicious. So long as he held the communicator band, they'd be able to discuss their suspicions without Quatre overhearing. Quatre's behavior was quickly becoming yet another mystery to go with the game itself.

Wolfwood raised an eyebrow at the two boys, not having missed the look they'd exchanged. Duo flashed him a warm smile and he didn't press the issue. They circled the room till they were once again facing the 'Random' portal. Duo waved a hand in parting to Setsuna, mostly so he could see the way she smirked in response. Then they caught hands and stepped through.

_**.-.  
**__**TBC**_


	7. A game within the game

_Category:_ Anime, Gundam Wing, Yaoi, Timeline-What-Timeline, Alternate Universe  
**_Minor Anime:_** Trigun, Sailor Moon, Samurai Deeper Kyo, Yu Yu Hakusho  
_Pairings:_ 1x2 main  
**_Warnings:_** shonen ai  
_Author: _Arigatomina  
_Email_: arigatoumina (a) hotmail . com  
_Website:_ www . geocities . com / arigatomina

**The Game**

_Part 7: "A game within the game"_

The void held for nearly a minute before lightening into a gray tunnel around them, the surface of rocky walls shadowed by drifting fog. A heavy airless sensation settled on them, and the two players stared at the tall doors standing before them. They were in a natural tunnel, one end emitting a faint light, the other…blocked off by a wide wooden arch with a small sheet of paper tacked onto it. That sullen gray fog obscured the writing.

"The task," said Setsuna, her voice echoing strangely, "is to defeat the _Game Master_ in four out of seven competitions, and to rescue your comrade. In order to complete this task you require three additional players."

Heero and Duo jolted in surprise. They'd spent so long as a pair in the last realm that they hadn't noticed Wolfwood's absence. A quick look proved that he wasn't in the tunnel with them. Duo grumbled under his breath, wondering what Wolfwood would say to them when they 'rescued' him. It was hardly fair that he was once again the 'solo' player while Heero and Duo were familiarly paired up.

Heero was having similar thoughts. He pushed them aside in order to focus on what the guide had said. "Additional players?"

"Imported players," said Duo, "Quatre mentioned that."

"You currently have the sufficient number of available players in your queue to attempt this task," Setsuna said in answer to Heero's question. "Your _Import Queue_."

As she spoke the last two words, a rectangular 'screen' appeared in front of Heero and Duo. It looked like a long computer projection, only it was floating in midair as if it were reflecting off the surface of that fog. There were six blocks sectioned on the screen, a small 'profile' picture in the upper left of each section. Duo grinned when he realized what it was.

"It's the people we've met," Duo explained to Heero. "So the 'significant characters' get put into this queue for us to import into other tasks. I've played games like this."

Heero raised an eyebrow and looked back at the projected screen. The first picture was of the woman they'd met. There was no name or information beside her picture except for a small line that read _bounty hunter_, and _handgun_ marked under her skills. She was considered a significant character?

The next profile was considerably more detailed. Yukimura's picture was set next to a list of details ranging from his full name, to his skill at swordsmanship, flirting, and drinking. Sasuke's profile followed with swordsmanship and speed marked as his skills, and an odd silver _'Original Unknown'_ placed where his name should have been. This made Heero pause for a moment since they'd been given the boy's name as clearly as they'd been given Yukimura's. The fourth and fifth profiles were even more startling.

"We never met them," Duo protested, his eyes wide. "I'd have remembered a guy with hair that orange. And how can '_blind_' be a skill?"

Heero shook his head and stepped a bit closer to the projection. The two profiles featured unusual looking people. One had bright orange hair and orange cat-shaped eyes, and absolutely no information beside his picture. The other had pale bluish white hair, his eyes closed. His name was given as Akira, and as Duo had noted, blind was listed as his skill.

"Wolfwood must have met them," said Heero. "If it lists the people we met, it would be natural to list any he encountered as well."

The sixth and last profile was Saizo's, and there was nothing next to his picture aside from his name. That made sense since they hadn't really seen any of his skills. Duo guessed the available characters were listed in the order they'd met them.

"Choose three additional players to commence with the task," said Setsuna.

"Right," Duo said quickly, flashing a weak grin at Heero. "I don't know what kind of people Wolfwood met, but if they're anything like that girl, I don't want to risk it."

Heero was quick to agree with that. As soon as he'd given the names of the characters they wanted, the projected '_Import Queue_' vanished and the tunnel changed around them. That gray fog faded out to reveal dark walls and two strangers standing in front of the tall doors. Yukimura, Sasuke, and Saizo were now standing a few feet down the tunnel from them. Their expressions were every bit as startled as the two strangers'.

Duo grimaced. He didn't know if he should explain to the people they knew, or the two who obviously belonged to this realm. Yukimura took a slow step toward him, his face pulled into a strained frown. Duo remembered how quickly the man had drawn a sword on him during their last encounter and decided to explain to him first.

"You guys don't mind helping us out on a little task, do you?" asked Duo, with a weak smile. "I don't think it'll take very long…"

"Do you have any idea what you've interrupted?" Yukimura said slowly, his tone just a little dumbfounded. "It took weeks to get accustomed to having two distinctly different memories of our last encounter with the two of you. We were in the middle of a very significant battle. If we are not returned to the precise moment, with our wits intact, who knows what will happen."

"I'm sure the game will take care of that," Duo said quickly, his smile growing weaker by the second. "We really didn't have a choice about importing characters. It's part of the task."

Sasuke suddenly appeared in front of Duo, his golden eyes glinting dangerously up at him. "I want my sword back. Now."

Yukimura blinked and looked down at the boy's clenched right hand. He caught Sasuke's wrist and scowled at him. "I wondered why you weren't with us earlier. What did you do?"

Sasuke's expression went from furious to sullenly wary. "Nothing…"

"Don't lie, you're bleeding. Saizo-"

The man hurried over and Sasuke squirmed as a cloth was wrapped over his sliced palm. "It's nothing. Let go…!"

Heero had flinched when the boy mentioned his sword. Now he caught Duo's attention. "Our weapons are gone."

"What?" Duo blurted, throwing a hand up to grope over his back where his scythe had been hanging. "How-"

"Excuse me," an exasperated voice called out. "Who _are_ you people?"

Yukimura had assumed the two strangers standing near the wooden door were associates of Heero and Duo. Now he straightened up and eyed them curiously. Duo and Heero did the same, though they were a bit more wary.

The person who'd spoken was a tall young man with long red hair and bright green eyes. His voice was startling because it sounded almost identical to Yukimura's. Duo glanced down at the other stranger and promptly did a double take. This one was Sasuke's height and had black hair that swept back so that it resembled a flame. His eyes were what made Duo stare at him. The scowling boy had wide cat-shaped red eyes, his face and build remarkably similar to Sasuke.

"This is interesting," Yukimura said slowly, his eyes glinting with amusement. "Sasuke…you didn't tell me you had a brother."

"Baka!" Sasuke growled. "You're one to talk. That guy sounds just like you!"

The redhead in question raised an eyebrow. "Are you referring to me? I don't hear any resemblance."

"Then you're tone deaf," the short black-haired male said. His voice startled the others, much deeper than any of them had expected. He glared at them all impatiently, not looking too amused at the chatter. "Answer the question or get lost. How did you get in here in an instant? And what did you do to Yusuke and the boy?"

Heero and Duo exchanged a quick glance. Heero stepped forward to explain. "We're taking part in a game of sorts. Our current task is to defeat the 'Game Master' in order to rescue our comrade. If we've replaced acquaintances of yours, they should come back once we've finished the task. Everything will revert to the way it was before we arrived, provided we complete the task."

Duo was surprised at how confidently Heero said that, considering they didn't know what actually happened once they left a realm. From what little Yukimura had said, their presence had definitely affected the 'import players' they left behind. But now wasn't the best time to admit that. They'd probably need the two strangers' assistance once they started on the actual task. Setsuna had said it was 'four out of seven,' so they'd need seven people to proceed.

"Am I to understand," said the redhead, "that you are skewing our reality in order to…to play a game?"

"Rather inconsiderate, isn't it?" Yukimura commented.

The two exchanged a commiserating look, and Duo found himself ogling them. Their voices weren't just similar, they were identical. Had the game malfunctioned? Or had they simply imported a character with a similar 'design' to one of the characters already established in this realm? What were the chances of that?

"Stop that," Sasuke grumbled, sending a disgruntled look at Yukimura. "It's creepy."

"I have no idea what you're referring to," Yukimura said airily, lifting his nose in playful disdain.

"No," echoed the redhead, a hint of amusement also dawning in his eyes, "I have no idea, either."

Sasuke's eyebrow twitched and he scowled at both of the slender men. "As if one Yukimura wasn't bad enough…"

Duo couldn't help but grin at the boy's tone, and the genuine amusement on Yukimura's face. He moved forward to clap a hand on Heero's shoulder and introduced them to the strangers. The redhead nodded in response and gave his name as Kurama.

"This is Hiei," he said, in reference to the scowling black-haired male standing beside him.

"And this is a waste of time," Hiei growled. "Are we going in or not? You said we had to get seven people – there are seven now."

"That's true," Kurama noted. He directed Heero's attention to the piece of paper on the doors blocking the tunnel. "You say the five of you are looking to defeat the 'Game Master' in order to complete a task? That's exactly what we were about to do. I don't know what game _you're_ referring to, but once we enter these doors we'll be in a game field. The rules are strict in that you cannot go against the 'master' of the field. If you intend to accompany us, you will have to adhere to the rules. This means no violence, no pulling weapons on the master of the field."

Heero noticed the redhead looked at Hiei when he gave that last warning. He shot a dark look at Duo. "That explains why our weapons are gone. It looks like we'll have to complete the task without fighting."

"It _is_ a 'game' master," said Duo. "Maybe this task is just winning games. Like…playing a game…within _The Game_. That's kind of funny if you think about it."

"So happy you're amused," a low voice growled out spitefully.

Duo scowled down at the black-haired male, who was currently sending him a distasteful look. Kurama cut off the scowling match by stepping between them and plucking the paper off the door. He shrugged at Duo and gave a slightly apologetic smile.

"Don't mind him," said Kurama. "He's been in a foul mood for days. We really need to hurry. If we take too long, the demon world will come pouring through this tunnel on its way to invading the Earth. It would be best if that didn't happen."

The redhead pushed the doors open to a blinding room, and Yukimura eased in front of Duo and Heero so he could follow Kurama.

"You have demons in your world, too?" asked Yukimura, his tone conversational and curious.

Kurama's response was a tad flippant. "Yes, but few are as courteous as Hiei and I are."

"Really," Yukimura breathed. "I didn't know demons could be so attractive looking…"

A low snort trailed after them, and Duo shook his head in wonder. "He hits on anything that moves, doesn't he."

"Just about," Sasuke muttered.

He stepped into the blinding light with a sad looking Saizo trailing after him. Duo and Heero went through last. Those tall doors snapped shut behind them.

The blinding light eased into a more bearable yellow glow, illuminating a wide room with a large screen across from the door and empty space to the left, like a simulation chamber that hadn't been activated yet. To their right stood a small figure, a boy perhaps six or seven years old, with mussy brown hair sticking out from under the hood of his monster suit. He was wearing a bulky outfit that looked to be some sort of demon or devil, green and smooth with curved horns on either side of the head. Duo's first reaction was that the boy was cute, like an American child on Earth preparing for a Halloween party. The little boy's wide, overly toothy grin helped to dissolve that 'cute' impression.

"Welcome to the game realm," the boy grinned, his voice loud and taunting. He didn't seem to notice that five of them weren't originally from his world. "None of you will make it out of this room, but let's have some fun playing together, anyway."

He stepped to the side and a contraption appeared beside him. Large and bulky, it resembled a slot machine with three slots and a long handle, which the boy closed both hands around. He pulled it down so the three slots spun, flashing blurred pictures as he grinned at them and spoke again.

"There are seven mini-games in this one," the boy said, "but you'll only have to play four of them. Technically the player dies if he loses the game, but Sensui-sama said I can keep you guys here when that happens. So, you'll lose your souls, but you won't actually die. You'll just get stuck in the game. I promise I'll start it up and play with you when I get a chance. There's nothing like captive playmates, and it looks like a really fun game. I was saving it just for this."

The boy's tone was spoiled and juvenile, but his smile faded from evilly smug to genuinely happy. Duo shot a look at Kurama and Hiei since they were from this realm and more likely to know what was going on. The redhead caught his look and sidled closer to him, dropping his voice so the others would hear but that boy wouldn't.

"This realm is based on a real console game," said Kurama. "His ability is to bring that game to life, and by stepping through the doors, we've entered into that game. The only way out now is to defeat it according to the rules. If we fail, he – the Game Master – gets our lives. I don't know if we'd really be trapped inside this particular game, but it would be a form of death regardless. And if we win…"

The slots slowed their spinning and came to rest on three identical pictures of an aircraft, a sleek gray jet with childishly designed 'rifles' sticking out from either side of the nose. The costumed boy grinned and waved a hand at the empty space to their left. A small plane appeared in front of the screen. It was clearly a toy, with an open seat and a small screen on the dashboard. If there had been a slot to put quarters in, it might have been taken right out of a shopping mall. The large screen covering the wall across from the door lit up to show a corridor of gray blocky buildings.

"Who's first?" the boy asked cheerfully, his grin just a little evil. "I can spin if there aren't any volunteers."

Duo and Heero glanced over their associates. There hadn't been any advanced technology in Yukimura's realm, so they were unlikely choices. Kurama raised an eyebrow when they looked at him, and Hiei was sneering at the toy plane with a look of utter contempt. Heero frowned over at the impatient 'game master,' who was just starting to tap one of his 'clawed' feet on the ground.

"Can a player attempt more than one task?" asked Heero.

"No," the boy shot back, his dark smile flashing once more. "Seven players, seven games. Even if you win – which isn't going to happen – you can't play more than one game."

Heero nodded sharply and turned back to Duo. "You take this one. If it's a matter of piloting, you're the best choice."

Never one to ignore a compliment from his partner, Duo preened a little. He cracked his knuckles and stepped over to the toy airplane with a smug smile. The little boy sniffed at his confidence, not at all amused or worried.

"So what's the goal of this game?" asked Duo. "Fly through some obstacles till I destroy a target?"

The boy's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. "It's not easy. I've seen people play this game all the time, and no one ever gets past the two minute mark. You'll be blown to bits twenty-three seconds in, if you even make it that far."

Duo climbed over the side of the toy plane and settled into the hard seat. The steering wheel was a half circle with two handles to grip, small red buttons topping each to fire the guns. It was a little strange to be in a 'toy' plane, but Duo wasn't worried. He smirked over at the 'Game Master.'

"You may have seen other people play," Duo said cheerfully, "but I bet you've never seen a Gundam pilot play."

The boy blinked, losing his manufactured sneer for a confused expression that made him look his age. "A what pilot…?"

"You'll see," Duo smiled.

The screen across from him flickered, and Duo had a brief moment of vertigo. It reminded him of when he'd first gone into the game and the screen had swallowed him up. He was sure that for Heero and the others, Duo was still sitting in the little plane. But for him, he was flying in a real plane, and the corridor – while still looking blocky and artificial – was real enough that he could hear the wind rushing over the nose of the craft.

A small red light flashed on top of one of the blocks, like a firefly before the sun went down. Duo barely had time to pinpoint its location. Then he was firing at a number of dim flickers, only peripherally aware of the vague explosions striking the blocks he was flying past. So long as none hit him, he wasn't concerned with them. Compared to the simulations they'd had back on the satellite, these targets were almost easy.

A gossamer shield had fallen over the cockpit the moment the screen activated. From where Heero stood, it looked as if the shield were made of energy, some sort of hologram. Duo's expression had gone blank at the same moment and if not for his hands on the steering mechanism, he might have been asleep with his eyes open. In contrast, the miniature jet on the screen across the room from them was very active, spinning and firing in a graceful dance that Heero had seen repeated numerous times in the past.

Duo rarely stopped to wonder if a maneuver were physically possible for the craft he was piloting. If he thought he could do it, he did it. That was one of the reasons he was more skilled at piloting – his imagination made him try things that no sane pilot would attempt. And with Duo, trying usually meant succeeding.

The seconds ticked up on the corner of the wide screen, and by the thirty second mark the game was producing obstacles that were almost tailor-made for Duo's favorite type of piloting. The tunnel narrowed till the edges of those blocky walls were ghosting the tips of the wings, and odd gates protruded at random to cut the jet in half, or crush it in a vice-like grip. Heero suspected there was a pattern to the movements, and if he'd been piloting, he would have slowed long enough to memorize the pattern before finding the safest timing to get through. Duo, in contrast, sped up at the first swiping obstacle, eager for the challenge.

Reckless as it was in real scenarios, watching the simulation on the screen Heero didn't feel the tight disbelief he usually suffered while watching Duo fly. Duo's strength lay in his willingness to throw caution to the wind and trust entirely in his instincts. That was fine and well for him, but it wasn't something Heero could watch comfortably. This time, he stood back and enjoyed the show. All it took was a glance over at Duo's blank face to remind him the simulated danger wasn't real. If they lost four games and failed the task, then he would worry. The little 'game master' hadn't said anything about a danger in failing a single mini-game.

"Yusuke would have enjoyed this," Kurama murmured. He'd edged close to Heero and spoke without looking away from the screen. "Are you certain he will be returned after you complete your task? Once we've broken out of this field, things will become very dangerous."

Heero glanced over for a second, taking in the redhead's solemn expression. His gaze went back to the screen as he spoke. "As far as we know, your realm should go back to normal after we're gone."

"It really does," said Yukimura, with an undercurrent of amusement in his voice. "You'll remember this altered reality, but you'll also remember the way it _really_ happened. Technically, their presence in our world didn't have any significant effect on things. Mostly you'll have a disturbing headache a few days after the double memories end, and a slight problem when you try to tell which memory is more accurate. Since both are accurate, I'd recommend not thinking about it."

Heero wondered what would happen once they defeated, or completed, the game. Would the 'characters' lose those doubled memories and be refreshed for the next player? There was clearly more to each realm than the tasks they'd seen so far. The story seemed to continue whether a player were there or not. He supposed that could explain how multiple players could take part in the same game. If one of the other groups entered Yukimura's realm, they would probably find themselves in a later point in that 'story' than the place where Heero's group had entered. But if they didn't, if they entered at the same original point, did that mean Yukimura and the others would have three different memories of the same events, and so on?

"If you don't think about it too much," Yukimura was telling Kurama with a pleasant smile, "then you're less likely to go crazy."

"I see," Kurama said slowly.

Duo completed his mini-game with something the screen proclaimed was a high score. His reaction, once the holographic shield came down and he was able to exit from the toy plane, was to grin at the angry little 'Game Master.' The boy scowled at him, his face turning red as if he'd toss himself at the floor and throw a full-fledged tantrum. Then he turned on his heel and padded – because of the thick feet of his monster suit – back to the slot machine. Duo headed over to lounge against the wall next to Heero, his smug smile and teasing eyes reminding his partner that he'd have to do just as well when his mini-game came up.

The slots came to rest on blue squares that were marked by fat white question marks. If anything, the boy looked happier to see this result than he had when the jet game had come up. He rounded with a toothy, taunting grin.

"Trivia," the Game Master announced. "This time there's no way you can win."

"This is stupid."

Heero and Duo glanced over in surprise to see the black-haired Hiei scowling down at his folded arms. Beside him, Kurama wore a painful, wincing smile.

"Please don't resort to violence," Kurama murmured, his tone just a little strained. "I can't promise to get you your soul back if you attack the master of the field and lose it again. You're too smart not to learn from your mistakes, Hiei."

Hiei bristled and glowered over his shoulder. "What's the point of this trivia thing?"

"To answer questions correctly, and to be the fastest person to do it," said Kurama. "I've seen this game before. The questions are very difficult, so I should-"

"I'll go," said Hiei.

He crossed the room with a noted lack of enthusiasm, his face making him appear as if he were sleep walking, or dying from boredom. Heero and Duo exchanged a wary look, and the Game Master laughed with evident satisfaction.

"You're not even human," the boy taunted cheerfully. "There's no way you'd know the answers to these trivia questions. But even if you do know, you won't be able to answer them."

Two stands appeared before the wide screen, a round red buzzer on each. The boy waited till Hiei was standing beside him, then he nodded at the screen. "You have to hit the buzzer before you can answer. The first person to hit gets to answer first. A wrong answer earns a point to the other person."

The screen filled with blue and white text began marching down the screen. Less than two lines had appeared when the boy slammed his palm down on his buzzer and answered the question. Duo gaped from behind them.

"He didn't even wait for the question to be asked!" Duo protested. "How can he answer without reading the question?"

Glitteringly smug brown eyes flicked back to him, and the boy smirked. "Because, I'm the Game Master. I've memorized every question in this game. I told you there was no way you guys could beat me with _this_ one."

Duo glared and shrugged off the restraining hand Heero had placed on his shoulder. "That's cheating!"

"There are no rules against it," Kurama said quietly. "In which case, Hiei is at an advantage."

Duo's mouth opened to demand an explanation, and Kurama redirected their attention to the players. Hiei had reached up to pull the white cloth band off his forehead and was now staring over at the 'Game Master'. The boy yelped in surprise before hiding it behind a disgruntled expression.

"What good's that going to do?" the boy grumbled, leaning away a little. "That won't help you."

Their rival answered three more questions before Heero spotted what Hiei was doing. The black-haired male had a third eye in the middle of his forehead, and it was trained on the costumed boy, a faint green glow ghosting over his face. Heero quickly motioned Duo to move to his right so he could see it as well.

"What is that?" Duo asked quietly, his expression almost as disgruntled as the little game master's had been. "And isn't he even going to try guessing at the answers? He's falling behind…"

"Just wait," said Kurama, who'd eased close enough to hear them. "This game should be over shortly."

As if the redhead's words were a signal to attack, Hiei turned his attention back to the screen. His hand moved over the buzzer and he waited for the next question. He hit the button before the boy's hand had even begun to descend. The rest of the questions went the same way.

"You read my mind!" the boy yelled, stomping his foot in outrage. "You cheater! You're not allowed to do stuff like that here! It's my realm! You can't attack me in my own realm!"

"I didn't attack anyone," said Hiei, rolling his eyes. The victory had been far too easy. He crossed over to the others and passed them until he came to the wall. Then he slunk down and folded his legs up, looking for the world like he'd just fallen asleep.

Kurama flashed a surprisingly sympathetic smile at the irate boy in the monster suit. "There were no rules against Hiei using his Jagan on you, so it's no more cheating than you memorizing the questions was."

The game boy didn't answer as he turned back to his slot machine. His face had taken on a shadowy appearance that was far more worrisome than his taunts had been. He announced the following game with a cold voice and sharp resentful eyes.

The third game was one that Duo immediately recognized, a fighting game with trick potions and three 'lives' for the player to use. He immediately recommended Heero for the role, since it was a hand-to-hand combat game, rather than something with weapons. Yukimura dissuaded them by asking about the next game. If it were something involving advanced technology, like the plane, then they wouldn't want to be reliant on him, Saizo, or Sasuke. Kurama mentioned, unenthusiastically, that he could probably handle any game they were given. But Yukimura insisted this one go to him.

Heero was skeptical, but they still had five games if this one were lost. He kept his doubts to himself, even when Yukimura lost his first two 'lives' to an oversized opponent, some blocky game character the size of a mountain. It wasn't until Yukimura found one of the 'potions' Duo had mentioned that he finished the match. At that point, Heero grudgingly admitted the man could punch rather hard for someone with a penchant for swords.

Duo wasn't impressed with the fighting game. The graphics had been bad. The universe – a boring brown rocky landscape with fewer details than the simulations they'd had on the satellite – was stark, and the actual difficulty lay almost entirely in finding the potion and growing tall enough to face the opponent. All in all, he was glad he'd gotten the flight game instead.

"One more win to get out," said Duo. The fourth game clicked to a stop on the slot machine, and he flashed a grin at Heero. "Tetris. Anyone can play that."

"I'll go," Kurama said softly, his expression oddly blank.

Heero shook his head and waved him back. "If all we have to do is defeat this game, then I'll take it."

Kurama looked like he would protest and Duo forestalled him with a confident smile.

"Don't worry," said Duo. "Heero's reflexes are insane, really. He's like a human computer sometimes. No matter how good that kid is, there's no way he can beat Heero at a game like this."

"I see," murmured Kurama. "And does Heero know what will happen when he wins…?"

Duo frowned a little, but Kurama was staring past him, looking at the 'Game Master' with what appeared to be pity. He didn't know what to make of that.

Tetris was a very systematic game, and one Heero was quite familiar with. It involved using buttons to rotate blocks and fit them into a pattern that would clear the screen when they came to be lined up in a row. Compared to programming code to make the Zero System compatible with other gundams, this game required nothing more than reflexes. Heero suddenly understood why Hiei had looked so bored when he'd taken part in the trivia game. If there was no challenge, it was almost disappointing.

The victor was announced by a wildly flashing pink and blue light on the screen. A moment later the entire room began to shake and the boy in the monster suit pitched over onto his side. Heero rounded in surprise, and the others rushed forward to him, save for Hiei, who remained standing against the far wall.

"What is it?" asked Duo. "We won, right?"

"This realm is falling apart," said Kurama. "The master of the realm has fallen, so there's nothing to sustain it."

Billowing clouds of unscented smoke obscured the area and the shaking increased until small chunks of rock fell down around them. Duo instinctively ducked closer to Heero, their hands rising to ward off any larger rocks that might fall at them in the blinding gray smoke. And just when it seemed the tunnel itself would cave in, the air cleared.

They were standing in a wide chamber of the cave they'd entered earlier. The only evidence of the 'game' they'd taken part in was the small gray console, complete with a dark controller, and the little boy lying a few feet from it. Kurama and Hiei were standing over the child with dark solemn expressions.

"Is he okay?" asked Duo, as he wandered over to them with Heero a few feet behind.

"He's dead," said Hiei.

"With that game," Kurama said coldly, "the loser dies. I don't believe he knew that. He wasn't afraid, even when he was losing the last round. No one told him."

"What are you talking about?" asked Heero, his eyes sharp. "It was a game."

Yukimura and Saizo had come to stand beside the others, Sasuke trailing behind. At Heero's angry words, Yukimura sent him a curious look. "You really don't understand, do you. This game of yours may be a game to you, but to us, it's life. It's reality."

"That game we played just now," said Kurama, "was created by him, with his life force bound to the rules of the game. When we defeated him, the destruction of his realm took his life. There was never a chance for it to be otherwise."

"But it's because we're here," Duo put in quickly, his eyes darting from Heero to Kurama, and avoiding the body lying at their feet. "When we leave, things will revert to the way they should have been. So…it won't end up like this when your friends are here instead, right?"

"I don't know," said Kurama. "If it came to his life or the human world, sacrifices would be required…"

"We move now," Hiei said sharply, turning away to look down the tunnel. "Time is short."

The two moved off without glancing back, Yukimura's group following a few paces behind. Duo hesitated, finally letting his gaze drop to the boy. His bulky costume was gone, leaving him in a dark shirt and pale shorts that revealed how slight he was, and how young. He didn't look injured at all, but he wasn't breathing.

"It's just a game, though," Duo mumbled, sending a quick look at Heero. "Right? I mean, we might get really injured in the game, but the characters aren't real."

Even as he said it, he was beginning to wonder if that were true. They knew nothing about the game, or the realms the game sent them to. The idea that they could enter a world through the game, kill someone, and then exit again without the slightest remorse or worry, was daunting. How could they know what happened once they were gone?

"Let's go," said Heero.

He flashed one last look at the pale boy lying with one thin arm curled near his face. Then he caught Duo's shoulder and turned him in the direction the others had gone. He didn't mention the thoughts running through his mind, or how similar the boy was to a certain honey-haired girl he'd once killed just as unwittingly.

_**.-.  
**__**TBC**_


	8. An unexpected conclusion

_Category:_ Anime, Gundam Wing, Yaoi, Timeline-What-Timeline, Alternate Universe  
**_Minor Anime: _**Trigun, Sailor Moon, Samurai Deeper Kyo, Yu Yu Hakusho  
_Pairings:_ 1x2 main  
**_Warnings:_** shonen ai  
_Author:_ Arigatomina  
_Email_: arigatoumina (a) hotmail . com  
_Website:_ www . geocities . com / arigatomina

**The Game**

_Part 8: "An unexpected conclusion"_

A sound-track crept to them as they advanced down the tunnel, moving silently toward the dim yellow glow. There was the rattling of a semi-automatic machine gun, muffled explosions that might have been mortar fire, drowned death cries echoing faintly off the walls, and the heavy leathery sound of tanks treading through a baked jungle. Duo was immediately reminded of the out-dated war movies he'd seen growing up on the colonies, the sort politicians had recycled daily in colony broadcasts a few years ago, back before they realized the rebels had already decided resistance was worth the inevitable casualties. Those movies had always struck Duo as being stale, too far removed from current technology to have any bearing on his own battles. The mobile suit conflicts Relena later put into the broadcasts were much more striking, something everyone could relate to.

That dim glow strengthened as the tunnel opened into a wide chamber that was filled with heavy air and a faint, unpleasant odor of ancient rot unearthed. A television played quietly a few yards away, the slightly fuzzed screen showing images that might well have been taken from any one of a dozen Vietnam movies. A low, dark, couch sat in front of the set, a black-haired man reclining on it with his long arms stretched out to either side of him, and his back facing them. Over to his right, another man was leaning against the wall. Tall and plain-looking, he had dark hair cropped in a short flat-top.

Water glinted beyond the two strangers, a natural lake of murky waves that lapped the sides of a low brown boat. Wolfwood was leaning back in the craft, his bound hands raised to shield him from the gibbering menace overhead. The air above him had opened in a hazy circular portal, the edges of which rippled and widened gradually. Creatures, some humanoid, most not, were writhing at the edge of the portal, squirming and pushing against each other as they struggled to reach the human below them. Claws swiped and strained but their bodies were held at bay by a shimmering golden fence, that appeared to be made of pure energy.

Duo took a sharp step forward, anger blazing off his face. Heero stopped him by placing a strong hand on his shoulder and shaking his head in warning. The man watching the television had been joined by a third stranger. Even though Heero had been staring right at the couch, he hadn't seen the new person approach. He might as well have appeared out of thin air. Tall and lithe, he had wavy sea green hair that fell to his shoulders and amused eyes that he turned on them a moment after Duo stopped his advance.

Kurama stepped forward to flank Heero, his dark glare warning that these were dangerous enemies. The warning wasn't needed. The fact that the black-haired man hadn't so much as glanced in their direction told Heero they weren't being considered as threats. They didn't even have their weapons on them. Besides that, Setsuna hadn't said anything about fighting after defeating the 'Game Master.'

"We're here for our comrade," said Heero, in a calm and clear voice. "Return him."

In the boat, Wolfwood jolted a little and flashed a very relieved look at them. If it hadn't been for the smelly monstrosities salivating on him from that portal overhead, he might have even rolled his eyes at Duo's apologetic expression. Going off on his own adventure in the last realm had been fun, challenging. Being separated this time was anything but fun, and he hadn't had a chance to meet any challenge. The moment they'd entered the gate, he'd found himself restrained and helpless, with three very confused adversaries, who kept muttering about some large orange-haired moron he must have replaced. They'd moved him onto the boat just a few minutes ago, after a few suspicious tremors to the floor and walls of the cave.

"The demons are here," the long-haired man murmured, his tone soft and almost disinterested. "But the others are the same as that one. They don't belong here."

"How curious," the black-haired man returned. He finally turned his head to look over at them. His eyes were dark and rather amused.

"_Sensui._ Where's Kuwabara?" Kurama demanded, before Heero could say a word.

"I intended to ask you that very question," said Sensui. "He was here…and then _he_ was here." He flicked a hand at the boat. "How did you manage that? And where is Urameshi?"

Duo shot a look at Kurama. "Did they capture one of your friends? Wolfwood must have replaced him, like we did. He'll be back after we go."

"We're here for our comrade," Heero said again, his eyes narrowing. "Everything will revert to normal after we get him back. We have no issue with you."

The black-haired man stared at Heero for a moment, as if reading him. Then he tilted his head to look at the green-haired man standing quietly beside the couch. "Itsuki."

The pale man approached them and Duo sent a quick look at Kurama. He could only assume from the way Kurama and Hiei were staring at Sensui that this 'Itsuki' wasn't an immediate threat. The man stopped a few feet away and looked them over with an openly curious expression. His gaze rested especially long on Sasuke, who was standing back with the other 'imported' characters.

Itsuki gave a slow smile and shifted his attention back to Heero, who he took to be the speaker for the group. "What realm do you come from? The four of you are clearly human, but that one…he isn't even a proper hanyou. I can't tell what he is. What realm do you come from, and how did you come. Answer that and you can have your comrade. We've no use for him, anyway."

Heero frowned and exchanged a suspicious look with Duo. Kurama, who'd been staring coldly at the silent man across the cave from Sensui, shook his head and turned to Yukimura.

"When things revert," said Kurama, "does everyone who comes into contact with them remember it?"

Heero realized the problem immediately. If they were to tell Kurama's enemies about the game, it could be used against him later, providing his enemies retained the same double-memory Yukimura had warned of. But Heero didn't see how knowing about the game could be used as a weapon. The only possible drawback he could think of was that the information could affect future tasks in this particular realm. If that were the case, then the game had probably prompted Kurama to stop them from answering Itsuki's questions. It would be prudent to have that sort of fail-safe, and it tied in with what Duo had said about 'characters' being limited to a predetermined script

Even as Heero tried to rationalize this, he could feel his confidence slipping away. He found himself caught on what they'd been told. '_The Game'_ might be just a game to them, but to the 'characters' it was life. It was real. What they did in the realms could have serious consequences for those they came into contact with. Heero didn't know whether he had trouble believing that because it was farfetched and he was a natural skeptic, or because he didn't want to believe it, to believe he'd just killed a boy who would live with the memory of dying even after the realm was reset.

"I think it's only the people they spend time with," Yukimura was saying. "None of our enemies had any memories of it. Although…so much was changed due to their presence that there would have been nearly a hundred people affected. It could depend on where they go."

Duo wasn't sure what had caused it, but Heero's expression was very familiar. The boy was staring at the ground, his face closed off in a tense, almost impersonal look of hostility. It was the same mask Heero had worn throughout most of the war to keep people at a distance. Seeing it again, here, invoked an instinctive reaction to counter his partner's personality. Duo stepped forward and flashed Itsuki a disarming, and somewhat flighty smile.

"I don't know why they're so worried," said Duo, with a careless shrug. "It's not like we can answer your questions, anyway. I mean, as far as we're concerned, this is like an interactive dream, some realistic hallucination. It's like hooking your brain up to a computer in some Matrix remake. What are we supposed to say? We're not from some 'realm', we're from the real world, real to us, anyway. As for how we got here, well, that's pretty much the same question we're trying to answer ourselves. If we knew how it worked, we wouldn't be experimenting with it, right? That's not to say I don't have my own guesses, but if you don't get the Matrix reference, my guesses won't be much good to you."

Kurama had rounded the moment Duo started speaking. Now he was staring at the long-haired boy with a faintly confused expression. Yukimura smirked and put a placating hand on Kurama's shoulder. He directed the teen's attention away from Duo and onto Itsuki. Kurama immediately went from confused and a touch furious to surprised and a tad amused. While Duo's outburst had made him question the boy's intelligence, it had clearly left Itsuki disturbed. The green-haired demon looked as if he didn't know whether to ask for Duo to say that again, or to give up before his mind was affected by the incomprehensible chatter.

Heero had glanced up the moment Duo stepped forward. A part of him wondered if Duo really believed what he was saying. His partner made it a mission never to lie outright, so he could only accept that he really did mean what he was saying. Heero was torn, still swept up in the idea of the game being far too real. Despite that, he couldn't help but be amused and impressed at how easily Duo had reverted to his old way of handling people. Where his own stoic, stubborn, silence would have made Itsuki even more curious, Duo's open rambling had the green-haired man leaning subtly away.

"Enough," Sensui called from the couch. He'd ceased watching them and was once more immersed in the video. "Take your friend back. I've no interest in fighting you for someone who is of no use to me."

Itsuki stepped to the side and flashed Duo a slightly disconcerted look. "Your friend's there. And for your information, the movie you were talking about – a sequel to the Matrix – won't exist in this realm for at least twenty more years. They haven't even made the original yet. As a traveler, you should at least make a note of the time you move through."

"I guess that would make me irresponsible," Duo said brightly, as if he wasn't the least bit curious that Itsuki had actually recognized the movie reference. "Never claimed to be anything else, though. Now…"

The green-haired man looked over his shoulder and Duo caught sight of Wolfwood. The boat was still beneath that portal, but it was empty now. His friend was sitting, bound and scowling at them, by the edge of the water. Duo hurried over with Heero a few feet behind. They didn't notice that Kurama and Hiei remained rooted in place, their attention once more locked on Sensui. Yukimura took a step in their direction, but didn't make it any further. The moment Duo crouched beside Wolfwood and placed a hand on the man's restraints, the surroundings faded out.

They found themselves standing in the pillar room, which was now lit by dark golden flames. Like the _'Samurai'_ portal had, the door they'd exited from now had a golden void within. The silver title printed above it read _'Demons'_, and the _'Random'_ portal was now across the chamber, on the other side of that colored fire. Setsuna smiled at them as she congratulated the completion of their second task.

"You have accumulated enough stars for a '_Light Trip_' to the location of your choice," she said. "You can redeem them now or at a later time."

The _'Import Queue'_ appeared before them, with four additions for Kurama, Hiei, Sensui, and Itsuki. There were small silver stars next to the pictures of Yukimura, Saizo, and Sasuke. Duo started to ask about that, but Heero spoke up first.

"These realms," Heero said to Setsuna. "Are they completely reset after a task has been completed? If a game character dies, will he remember that after the realm has been reset?"

"In this case, yes," said Setsuna, in a pleasant tone. "The character in this particular realm was fated to die, so that he could be revived at a later time. His experience will serve as a lesson to him and guide the way he lives out the rest of his life. If the death is not set in the original timeline, the individual retains no memory of it. It's noble of you to care."

Heero blinked and scowled a little, suddenly aware of the fond smile Duo was giving him, and the doubtful look Wolfwood had turned on him. The former slung an arm over his shoulder, while the latter merely shrugged.

"I have no idea what you're asking about," said Wolfwood, "but I don't like the way that realm went. I didn't get to do anything but be drooled on by some weird looking monsters, and get poked by that creepy tentacle guy."

Duo raised an eyebrow at that. "Tentacle guy? Which one was he?"

"The one by the wall," Wolfwood scowled. He rubbed his arms, as if to rid them of a slimy substance. "He was worse than the monsters. Do you know if you guys had gotten there five minutes later than you did, he was planning to eat me? I mean that literally. There was something really wrong with that guy, like his skin was rubber or something. Next time one of you can play the loner. I don't do the damsel in distress thing."

"Yeah," Duo snorted with a grin, "you don't have that _'come save me'_ look. The way you were cowering in that boat was pretty realistic, but I bet if you hadn't been gagged you'd have yelled instead of crying for help."

"Of course I'd have yelled," said Wolfwood. "Those monsters were _drooling_ on me. I'm telling you, it was just plain nasty…"

"Can you hear me?" Quatre spoke up, from the band on Wolfwood's wrist.

Wolfwood jerked in surprise and flashed a weak smile down at the band. "Yeah, now. What happened in there?"

"I don't know," said Quatre. "Contact was severed right after you entered."

Heero glanced over at Setsuna before responding to Quatre. "Our weapons were taken at the same time. The game may have seen the band as a weapon and deactivated it for the duration of that task."

Setsuna called from the fire, her tone a little amused. "Do you wish to use the available _Light Trip_?"

Duo glanced at the '_Import Queue_' still visible against the golden wall of the room. He'd had an idea when he first saw it, that the stars could be some sort of 'experience' points. He turned his attention on Wolfwood's arm, smiling at the fact that he was looking at the wrist-band the same way he'd have looked a person in the eye when speaking to him.

"You know anything about this '_Light Trip_' thing, Quatre?" asked Duo.

"No," said Quatre, his tone clipped. "Unless it's a task, I'd recommend leaving it for now."

"I can explain," said Setsuna. "The _Light Trip _is a trip acquired after acquiring stars. The characters earn a star by being used to successfully complete a task."

Duo nodded, thinking that it was just like experience points, as he'd guessed. "But what is this _Light Trip_?"

Setsuna stared at him for a moment before flashing a playful smile. "It's a _Light Trip_."

Duo face-vaulted, his shoulders slumped dramatically. "You're so helpful…"

"Thank you," said Setsuna.

"It's not a task?" asked Quatre.

Setsuna didn't so much as glance over at the band from which that voice had come. Her smile widened a hair to show she'd heard the question, but her eyes remained on Duo. After a moment of silence, Duo's lips twitched and he repeated the question. Setsuna answered him immediately, making it clear that she would not respond to Quatre, probably because he was not a player.

"The _Light Trip _is not a task," she told Duo, "it's a _Light Trip_."

Duo couldn't help but smile. Even if she were programmed to say that, the way she said it was so playful he found himself wanting to laugh. Instead, he nodded solemnly and turned to Heero and Wolfwood.

"Not a task," Duo shrugged. "Let's go to the next realm, then. No point getting sidetracked, right?"

Heero nodded sharply and headed for the '_Random_' portal before Quatre could direct them to it. Wolfwood hesitated a moment, still irritated by his role in the previous task. Duo caught his arm and steered him over to Heero, who actually looked a bit amused by the man's less than enthusiastic expression. Duo grinned.

"Come on, Wolfwood," Duo taunted. "What's the worst that could happen?"

"I'll actually get eaten this time…"

Heero's lips twitched and he was careful not to look at Duo when his partner locked arms between him and Wolfwood. He still didn't like the man the way Duo did, but he didn't have that jealous annoyance he'd had before. Having gone through two tasks without Wolfwood intruding made him less inclined to snap or glare. And he had to admit, it was amusing to know his 'competition' wasn't exactly enjoying the game.

_**.-.  
**__**TBC**_


	9. A dying landscape

_Category:_ Anime, Gundam Wing, Yaoi, Timeline-What-Timeline, Alternate Universe  
**_Minor Anime:_** Trigun  
_Pairings:_ 1x2 main, light Vash-Wolfwood  
**_Warnings_**: shonen ai  
_Author:_ Arigatomina  
_Email:_ arigatoumina (a) hotmail . com  
_Website:_ www . geocities . com / arigatomina

**The Game**

_Part 9: "A dying landscape"_

The golden void faded into a smoky tan landscape, heavy silence weighing the three of them down as the guide explained the details of the task. The '_Import Queue_' appeared in front of them. Above were two images, one of a strange hazy silver machine that might have been a space ship, and the other a picture of a little girl with pretty dark hair pulled into tails on either side of her head.

"The task," said Setsuna, "is to board the airship and keep the girl from being killed. The ship is located a mile above the ground, hovering over a canyon to the west of the city. For this task, you have the option of exchanging one player for one of your reserves. This option must be used before the task is begun, or not at all."

"Exchange," said Duo, with a glance at Heero and Wolfwood. "What happens to the person we trade out?"

"That person will remain with me until the task has been completed," said Setsuna.

Heero shook his head before Duo could respond to that. "We don't want to exchange anyone. There's no requirement that we do, is there?"

"I recommend you stay together," Quatre spoke up. "Trading places with an imported character could be dangerous if you fail to complete the task."

"Right," said Heero.

The '_Import Queue_' disappeared, followed by the image of the ship and the girl they were to protect. Setsuna didn't speak again as the tan fog faded out to reveal their location.

The first thing Duo noticed was that his scythe was once more strapped to his back. He immediately grinned and drew it, making certain it was as functional as it had been during the first task. Heero did the same, inspecting his cannon with those cool analytical eyes he'd used when checking his handguns during the wars. It wasn't until they were confident that their weapons had been returned unaltered that they noticed Wolfwood. Duo was so startled he would have fallen onto his backside if not for Heero putting a hand out to steady him.

"What the hell," Duo blurted. "You said you weren't a priest!"

Wolfwood's black outfit was the same, except the high white collar was gone. The top few buttons of his black coat were undone, the thinner white shirt beneath opened reveal tanned skin and a small silver cross. What had startled Duo so much was the change to the man's weapon. The large cannon that had overlapped his right arm during the first task was now a tall cross. He had it standing in the sand beside him, the top of the thing reaching nearly over his head. It was thick and blocky, wrapped in pale tan canvas with what appeared to be belt straps tied over it in some random pattern. Wolfwood looked as startled at the change as Duo.

"I'm not," Wolfwood said quickly, his tone a little defensive. "I don't know what this thing is. My weapon just…turned into this. It must have something to do with the realm."

Heero approached him and looked over the cross, his eyes pausing on the clasps holding the canvas in place. "If your weapon changed into this, it would have to be a weapon as well. But it's clumsy. It would take too long to unwrap it if you were attacked suddenly."

"There's probably a trick to it," said Duo, with curiosity in his eyes. He crossed over to join Heero in perusing the strange 'weapon.'

Wolfwood motioned for them to back up a bit and lifted the cross. He shoved it down into the sand so it was balanced on its own. He blinked a little afterward. "It's heavy…"

"Sure," Duo smirked, "it's huge. But if it's a cannon I don't see why the game changed it. Your cannon was powerful enough without being so awkward, and it had all sorts of chambers. Looks like you got the bum rush again, trading a versatile weapon for this thing."

"That figures," Wolfwood sighed, with a wry smile. "I get the feeling the game doesn't like me. Unless that's the way it is with all the 'sniper' players."

He found a latch that felt thicker than the others and pulled on it. All three of them stepped back as the other straps fell free, the weight pulling the cloth off as well. The cross almost looked like a black metal suitcase. The horizontal face fell down to reveal a row of large handguns, each in position for quick use. There was some sort of circular chamber on the top and triggers along the arms for what might have been anything from a beam cannon to a missile launcher. Duo immediately took back what he'd said before.

"Maybe this thing is versatile, too," Duo smirked, raising an eyebrow at Wolfwood. "But it's still awkward."

"It's also a mix of ancient and advanced," said Heero. "Look at this gun."

Wolfwood and Duo watched as Heero drew one of the large handguns, opening it to show the large copper bullets it was loaded with. The metal looked as if it were a few hundred years old, though the chambers were well cared for and gleaming in the sun. Compared with the unusually complex compartments in the cross, and the unknown power of whatever went in the center chamber – beam or missile – there was a clear difference. The guns could have come from eighteenth century Earth, but the cross itself was clearly more recent technology.

"What's strange about it?" asked Wolfwood, with a vague frown. "The handguns look like they were made to go with the rest. It wouldn't be complete, otherwise."

Duo gave him a funny look, and Heero replaced the gun with a slightly derogatory snort.

"For someone so skilled at using handguns," said Heero, "you don't know much about them. The cross was made to go with the guns, not the other way around. The metal alone should tell you how much older the guns are. This," he touched the black face of the cross and the holders for the guns, "isn't even an alloy discovered in our time. The guns are definitely replications of early models, but if the game had created them to fit the rest of this, they wouldn't be so visibly used. This barrel, for instance, has been cracked and sealed at least once, probably recently, by a…blowtorch or something similar. It would take much more advanced technology to fix a defect in the case itself. They can't have come from the same time period."

"I won't argue with that," Wolfwood said reluctantly, "but it still looks like a matching set to me."

"It's not really important, right?" asked Duo, with a quick smile for the two of them. "As long as it works, that's what matters. Figure out how to close it back up before we fry out here."

As if Duo had just flipped a switch, Wolfwood and Heero turned to look around them, noticing the surroundings for the first time. They'd noticed how bright the sun was, now they saw why. They were standing in a desert, hazy tan sand ghosting out like some ocean on all sides. A pale gray glint in the distance was the only thing to be seen aside from a few barren sand-blasted boulders here and there. Duo waved at the glint, his smile widening for having noticed their surroundings before Heero did. His partner had a habit of becoming focused on weaponry to the exclusion of all else.

"I bet that's the city Setsuna told us about," said Duo. "So the canyon with the ship should be on the other side of it."

"Right," said Heero.

Wolfwood nodded as well and pushed the face of the cross closed, pleased to note that it snapped into place with fluid ease. He had a moment of worry when it came to strapping the cloth over it. Since Heero's memory was almost photographic, he helped get the positioning of the straps back the way they'd been earlier. Wolfwood figured out the last clasps, the ones that would allow for a rapid unbinding in the event of an attack. It wasn't until he went to lift the thing that he again wondered why his weapon had changed so much.

"It's still heavy," Wolfwood frowned. "What reason would the game have for changing my weapon into this? If it were just a matter of this being more appropriate for the realm, all of our weapons would have changed."

"It's like I said," Duo smirked, "you just have the worst luck."

Wolfwood hefted the cross onto his right shoulder, automatically placing it so the hidden barrel was facing front. While the weight was impractical for someone traveling this sort of heat, it wasn't unbearable. It actually balanced quite nicely and once they started walking the weight seemed to lessen. He could only assume this was an aspect of the game intended to keep him from abandoning the unwieldy weapon.

"You know," Wolfwood drawled, "if I were religious, this would be the time to pun about accepting hardships."

Duo grinned, not noticing how closely Heero was watching him. "When they said to take up the cross, they didn't mean it literally. Maybe you're the token masochist in this task. Better than the damsel in distress, right?"

"I wouldn't be so sure," said Wolfwood. "If the game makes a habit of sticking me in the useless role, you guys may have to find yourselves a new sniper. Getting drooled on is one thing, but I'm not playing the martyr. That's where I draw the line."

"Right," Duo smirked. "And yet you didn't once ask one of us to help you carry that thing. Don't worry. When you pass out from heatstroke we'll drag you the rest of the way to that town."

Wolfwood gave him a droll scowl before flicking his eyes up to the sky. "Don't talk about the heat. This is worse than the first task was. I don't see why I keep getting stuck in deserts…"

His eyes caught on something strange, and he stopped in his tracks. "Oi. You guys see that…?"

Heero turned back. Some of his resentment had rekindled at how easily Duo and Wolfwood got along, but he pushed it aside for now. He stared up at the sky, his attention sweeping from the horizon, back to the dusty blue above.

"Three moons," Duo grinned. "Weird realm."

"And a storm is coming," said Heero. He directed their eyes to the horizon, where a dusty haze of sand was roiling in the distance.

They picked up their pace, eager to reach the shelter of the city before the sandstorm overtook them. The hazy gray shapes turned out to be closer than they'd thought, obscured by the heat baking off the few cement buildings and obscuring the other wooden structures. By the time they came into the slight shade of a fragile-looking building with a sign that proclaimed it a 'bar', the winds were blowing hard enough to make standing upright a challenge.

Duo clamped a hand over the tip of his braid, having been slapped by it more times than he cared for. Heero seemed to find that amusing, so he flashed his partner a playful glower. Behind them, Wolfwood had his cross slung over his back, the canvas rippling and shielding him from the worst of the winds.

"This is going to get bad," said Wolfwood, his voice half stolen by the whining wind.

Gritty sand dusted around them, doing its best to stick to any damp spot of skin it could find. The residents of the city, which looked more like a shanty town than anything, were ducking into the buildings, cloths over their faces. A few were boarding up the windows of the wooden houses, others lowering wooden grates that fell to completely block the front of stores. There was a tangible urgency to their movements, and they barely glanced at the three strangers who'd walked into their town.

Duo caught a young boy running past, and leaned down so he'd be heard over the pounding of hammers and the moaning wind. "Which is the quickest way through the town? We're looking for a canyon near here."

"You're crazy, then," the boy yelled back. His eyes widened in disbelief for a moment, then closed painfully as sand crept in and stuck to the dampness. He rubbed a furious hand over his eyes and waved toward his left. "Just go straight that way – past the jail! Go left again at the well and you're out. The only canyon around here is out that way. But it won't do you no good in a few minutes. This ain't no normal sandstorm, you know. It's a _tsunami_! You go in that canyon and you'll be buried in two minutes flat! Can't even try getting above it, neither – you'd get plucked right off the cliff and no one'd ever find what's left of you!"

"Thanks for the warning," Duo said quickly. He let go of the boy's arm and watched him duck into one of the remaining doorways. Seconds later a man was outside, pulling down a grate to block the entrance from the growing storm.

"Sand tsunami," said Heero. "That doesn't make sense. Even if an earthquake could launch a wave of sand, it wouldn't come with winds like this."

"Doesn't matter what you want to call it," said Wolfwood. He pushed at Heero, urging the boy into motion before he could explain the difference between a tsunami and a sandstorm. Duo was already ahead of them, following the little boy's directions.

"I have an idea," Duo called back, his voice muffled from the sleeve he'd put over his mouth to keep the sand at bay. "If this place is as old fashioned as that 'bar' back there, we won't be flying up to the airship, even if we find it. So how do you think we're supposed to get to it once we reach the canyon? No way is it a coincidence this storm picked up right when we got here."

Heero sped up a little so he could reply without having to scream the words. "You mean the wind? Use it to carry us?"

"You heard the kid," Duo nodded. "If we try getting 'above' on the cliff, we'll just be plucked off and carried who knows where. Well, in a game, that usually means to a hidden level, see? It's like playing a pirate game and getting taken to an island in the sky – you can't get directions from the natives, because they don't know it exists. You just have to be in the right place at the right time. That would explain Wolfwood's cross, too, that mix of old and high tech. It's forgotten technology or something. I've heard of games like that. The game probably gave him that weapon so we'd figure it out and know not to waste time asking the people here how to find the airship."

Heero gave a slow nod that Duo didn't turn his head to see. Once again he was impressed by how easily Duo had put things together. It wasn't that he doubted Duo's intelligence, or creativity, just that he wouldn't have thought to see the cross as a 'hint' imbedded to point them in the right direction. While none of them knew much about _The Game_, Duo's experience with games in general was coming in very handy.

They reached the canyon just in time to duck tight in a cranny and avoid being plowed by a large wooden roof. Duo scrambled out the moment the thing blew past and watched as it was dashed into a thousand pieces against the canyon wall.

"Dangerous! We'd better get up there if we don't want to get knocked into the cliff by something. It might be an entire building next time."

They climbed up a sloping crease in the canyon wall, old steps carved roughly into the gray rock to form a staircase of sorts. Heero took up the rear, his eyes squinting against the wind to watch for any large item that might blow their way. That gave him an idea as to how they were supposed to proceed, his mind still operating on the premise that nothing in the game happened by accident.

Once they reached the plateau, they huddled together, and Heero shared his thought. "If that roof had blown by while we were up here, it wouldn't have crashed into anything. We could have jumped onto it and been carried. The wind is blowing at an upward angle."

"Great thinking," Duo grinned. "Like catching a ride on a bird that just happens to be going in the direction we need. The only problem is we won't be able to go back if we miss our stop."

"Is this the only way?" asked Wolfwood, reluctant to say the least. "At least find something more stable than a wooden roof. Even if it blew up to the airship, it would be crushed on impact before we could catch hold."

"What else is there?" Duo shot back. "You saw that town! They barely had cement buildings. I doubt they'd have anything made of metal big enough for all three of us and light enough to be picked up by _this_."

Wolfwood squinted against the biting sand, his gut squirming at the idea of catching a ride on a rooftop. He wasn't about to argue with Duo, who obviously knew more about games than he did, but he really didn't look forward to trying that. Something pale glinted at the opening of the canyon, unearthed by the swirling sands and lifted into the air. Wolfwood jerked back and caught Heero's arm, directing him to look down.

"_That_," yelled Wolfwood. "You guys said lost technology, right? Let's catch a ride on that!"

Heero lurched to his feet, dragging Duo up with him. The wind was horrible once they were upright, threatening to snatch them up before the object could reach them. Duo squinted, trying to make out what the silver thing was. It almost looked like a vehicle, except it was more rounded on the sides with bumps below and on what might have been the face. A dark concave area was barely visible as it neared them, as if the interior were hollow. Whatever it was, he immediately agreed with Wolfwood. That was just the sort of thing to catch a ride on in a strange game scenario like this.

"We go together!" Heero shouted, over the now-howling wind. He caught Duo's wrist in one hand and Wolfwood's in the other. For a brief second he was surprised to find himself in the middle, where Duo had been during their entrances into the '_Random_' portal. Then the large object was rushing up in front of them, rising on its way out of the canyon. Duo jerked his arm so he could clasp Heero's hand in an equally tight grip. Once the machine was four feet past them, they jumped.

The wind shoved them faster than the object, their weight being lighter. They released hands at the same time, each scrambling to find a purchase on the large piece of machinery. Wolfwood caught an arm of his cross in the interior and jerked himself up until he toppled inside. Duo had a brief moment where he thought he'd slip right off the edge of the dusty metal. Then he kicked up and caught hold of the sharp edge of that hollow interior. Heero had landed halfway over the edge, but righted himself by rolling into the wind-flow. A few seconds later the three were crouched in what appeared to be a vehicle of some sort. If not for the rounded, bumpy, and wheel-less exterior, it could have been a circular trailer. There were even straps on the sides, broken and corroded by time and sand, but straps nonetheless.

"_Yes!_" Duo grinned, pumping a fist in the air and promptly ducking back down when the wind threatened to jerk him right out of the vehicle. "That was so absolutely cool!"

"Insane," Wolfwood laughed, crouching down with his cross wedged lightly between the opposite wall and his shoulder. "But much better than being mauled by a bunch of smelly monsters."

Heero gave a shake of his head for Duo's enthusiasm, not quite as reproving as he knew he should have been. "Stay alert. We'll still have to jump out once we reach the airship."

"Of course," said Duo. "It would be kind of pointless if we made it here and then missed our stop."

He started to say more but was distracted by a swirling jerk. The machinery they were on buckled like a small craft in the midst of severe turbulence. Duo let out a little eep and ducked tight against Wolfwood's side, jerking Heero along with him. Wolfwood shoved the cross tighter to the opposite wall, effectively holding them in place. It was a good thing, too, because the vehicle lashed almost entirely upside down before righting itself with a heavy lurch. A foot kicked against Duo's leg, and he drew his legs closer to himself, his arm tight around Heero's waist. Instead of wondering how they were supposed to keep an eye out for the airship, he just concerned himself with not letting either him or Heero get swept away.

"Oi…!"

Something kicked him again, and Duo squinted down to see a black boot wedged between his knee and Wolfwood's leg. He followed the boot to black pants and a wild scarlet coat. It took a moment before the colors resolved themselves into a tall person scrunched up across from them, tattered red cloth billowing in the sandy wind and wild pale blonde hair standing jagged above sparkling sky-blue eyes.

"Oi…!" the guy pouted, pushing a hand against the wedged cross and kicking Wolfwood's leg again. "_Wolfwood…!_ Make some room, would you? This isn't the place to nap, you know."

Heero and Wolfwood opened their eyes at the same moment, and Duo shifted back to stare at Wolfwood. His friend was squinting in surprise, but didn't appear to recognize the blonde. The craft wasn't shaking as much now, so Wolfwood drew his legs up and shifted the cross a bit higher on his shoulder.

"You know him?" asked Heero, his expression as startled as Duo's.

"No," Wolfwood blurted, his eyes flashing from the grinning blonde man, over to Duo and Heero. "When did he get here?"

"What are you saying?" the blonde pouted, wilting a little. "I know we haven't seen each other in a while, but no one ever forgets _me_. Or do you just not want to introduce me to your friends...? That's mean, Wolfwood."

Duo glanced over at Heero, doing his best to communicate without speaking out loud. He received a nod for his effort, so he assumed it was a success. He promptly elbowed Wolfwood in the ribs and sent him a look that said to play along. Wolfwood flashed him a disgruntled look before forcing a weak smile onto his face.

"It's not like that," Wolfwood said slowly, "I just figured you'd want to introduce yourself, is all."

The blonde blinked at that, his too-wide blue eyes flickering warily at Heero and Duo. His face twisted into a thoughtful expression for a moment. Then he flashed a winsome grin. "I'm Vash! Wolfwood and me ran into each other on a bus a while back, and then there was that time at that bar, and, well, seems like a small world the way we keep wandering in opposite directions and then ending up in the same place after all. I definitely didn't expect to see you here. What made you catch a ride on this?"

Wolfwood did his best not to let his wary confusion show on his face. He flashed what he hoped was a sly grin and flicked a thumb at the two boys beside him. "This is Duo, and Heero. We're heading for an airship."

Vash flinched a little. His grin disappeared, replaced by a sober and slightly wary expression. "You know about it…? Why are you heading there?"

Wolfwood shot a look at Duo, who quickly waved a hand at the blonde man. He flashed a dismissive smile.

"Just to see it," said Duo. "Not to get into trouble or anything. It's dangerous, eh?"

"N-no," Vash mumbled, frowning more and fidgeting a little. "It's just…they don't like strangers. That's why they stayed on the ship. I don't think you should go there, Wolfwood. They're good people, but…they just really don't take to strangers."

Wolfwood flashed a somewhat natural smile. "Don't worry about it. We were heading there anyway, so it's not your problem. It's not like we're hitching a ride with you, we just happened to pick the same route. You go there often?"

"Not really," said Vash, still looking doubtful. "It's been a while…"

"We won't cause any trouble," Duo said quickly. He took the blonde's presence as some attempt to dissuade them from completing the task, only instead of fighting him, they were supposed to placate him. He didn't know what to make of the man seeming to know Wolfwood, but they'd seen stranger things in the game. At least he hadn't turned into a monster yet.

Vash sent a look over the cross, his head ducking till his face was half-hidden by the high collar of his red coat. "I know you won't cause trouble, not if you're friends of Wolfwood. It's just that…they won't welcome you."

Sad blue eyes flicked up, and Wolfwood flashed an overly confident grin that didn't match the nervousness he felt. "They don't need to. We're just taking a look. It's not like we expect to be invited to lunch."

Vash gave a slow nod, frowning more than ever. "I guess…"

_**.-.  
**__**TBC**_


	10. Game over

Notes: I changed my plans a little with this chapter, so disregard the "next part" blurb I put on the last chapter. This is a short part, but I hope to have the next part out very soon. I realized not many people are reading this fic, so it doesn't really matter what I decide to do with it. If anyone's interested in a particular crossover, let me know and I can probably work it into the plot.

**The Game**

_Part 10: "Game over…"_

The airship was about the size of the satellite Heero and Duo had met up in, and twice as old. They abandoned their 'elevator' in favor of a shallow deck on the nose of the ship. Like the town and canyon, the deck was dusty gray and corroded from blasts of heated sand. And like the canyon, there was little shelter against the violent winds.

Heero's first thought upon seeing the airship was that it had frozen in place during a crash landing. The sheer size of it, easily as large as the town they'd passed through, told him that it was most likely a transport ship. It was somehow floating in midair, the narrow nose and deck were slightly tilted toward the ground, with the thick insect-like backside lifted in the air to mark the angle it had taken when entering the planet's atmosphere. Any question of lost technology was answered. A society capable of making such a ship was far removed from the old fashioned town below.

There was a moment of concern when they approached the dull airlocked doors that undoubtedly led into the ship. Vash tried to forestall them, once again telling how much the inhabitants didn't like strangers. Heero hadn't decided what sort of role the blonde man had, but he was beginning to see him as an obstruction to their task. The man wanted them to stay outside, which would make completing their task all but impossible. Even if they were lucky enough to avoid being blown off the deck, they wouldn't be able to locate the girl, let alone protect her.

It would have been much easier if they could simply explain the game to Vash. Duo and Wolfwood were eager to do just that - Duo because he was getting so much sand in his braid it would take days to wash it all out, and Wolfwood because pretending to be someone, when he didn't even know who he was supposed to be, was a lot harder than it looked. Heero was growing a tad resentful of the pointed looks they were sending him. As far as he could tell, the game had to have a reason for making Vash 'know' one of them, when all the other characters they'd encountered had immediately identified them as strangers. He was convinced the game had done it so they wouldn't tell anyone in this realm what their true purpose was. For all they knew, breaking Vash's assumption that he knew Wolfwood might cause them to fail the task before they really had a chance to attempt it.

Duo felt as if he'd been rolling in sand, the heat was ridiculous so close to the sun, and the wind kept jerking him off balance. And he swore, if the ragged tatters of Vash's coat slapped him one more time, he'd rip the thing off the man and toss it to the wind. He had an idea why Heero was stubbornly refusing to do anything about the situation. His partner was waiting till he understood it before acting. That was all good and well, but Duo hadn't entered the game to be stuck clinging to a door they couldn't open, all because they were afraid to be rude to a man they didn't know.

"Look," Duo muttered, sarcasm thick on his voice. "If you don't want us inside, that's your choice. Leave us out here to die. Just don't stand there like you want to watch it happen. I never liked voyeurs. It's not like we asked for a tour. We just want to get out of this wind."

The blonde man flinched and sent a wide-eyed look over the windswept deck. He fidgeted, shuffling his feet a little, and looking generally uncertain. Then his shoulders slumped in visible defeat.

Duo watched Vash approach the door and flashed a knowing grin at Heero's quirked eyebrow. The man had gone on about wanting to keep the occupants of the ship from being influenced by outsiders, which told him the guy was the 'soft' sort, like Quatre had been during the war. A light guilt trip and it was pretty easy to manipulate that type of person. Heero and Wolfwood were lucky to have him along. Duo was sure if he'd left it up to them, they'd be standing outside that door until the wind snatched them off, too afraid to be 'rude' to just open it themselves.

"Just don't talk to anyone, okay?" Vash mumbled, flashing a resentful look over his shoulder. "The wind should calm down in a while, so I'll take you guys back down when I'm done here."

There was a deep rumble from inside the ship as the door shook and slid to the side, revealing a dusky interior. Vash led them into what appeared to be an unused hallway. The air was dusty, but noticeably cooler than the desert outside. What little light there was seemed to come from the walls themselves, pale gray metal that just managed to illuminate the narrow passage. A door at the end of the hall opened with a smart snick of well-maintained machinery, and they emerged in a bright, modern hallway.

Vash stopped and looked back at them, probably planning to tell them to stay right there. He never got a chance to do more than open his mouth. An official looking man called out to them as if he meant to order them off the premises. His angry words were drowned out by an excited, high pitched cry. The girl from the photo rushed down the hall and threw herself into Vash's arms.

.-.

"You guys can wait here," said Vash, his eyes flicking back to where the uniformed man stood glaring at them, "as long as you don't move from this spot. Otherwise, you'll have to stay by the door at the end of the passage..."

Duo's expression had tightened as he watched the man greet Vash. The instinctive distrust and contempt on the man's face reminded him of L2, namely the first and second wards. The standard of living had been better there and the residents had guarded that viciously. Rarely were workers allowed entrance into the city proper. They were driven out by the private militia, since the colony's official police force had no control over residential matters. That uniformed man, with his modern clothing clean and cool in the air conditioned hallway, reminded Duo of the boy he'd gotten directions from in the town below. He was sure if that scruffy boy had been standing in the hall, asking for nothing more than a shelter from the storm, that uniformed man would have glared at him the same way he was now glaring at them.

Duo gave Vash a quick smile that didn't reach his eyes. "No problem. It looks a little cold and stuffy in there, anyway."

Heero's gaze snapped to Duo, taking in the cool tint in those otherwise expressive eyes. He'd seen his partner react the same way during the war, particularly when they came into contact with nobility. It had taken months before Duo finally dropped his defenses around Relena, who had been raised to speak as if she were more important than those around her. Although Duo eventually realized she did this unconsciously, his first appraisal of her was that the girl was a pampered hypocrite, calling to help the suffering while wasting wealth that could have sustained entire colonies. That instinctive reaction had eased over time, but there remained a distance between them. Duo had explained it to him before. Relena might mean well, but she'd never understand how her elitist lifestyle alienated the very people she most wanted to help, the working class.

Heero stepped close to his partner, giving what little support he could without addressing the issue. "Here is fine."

Vash appeared to accept their promise on face value. He still looked a bit uncertain, but he didn't hesitate long. The girl caught hold of his hand and beamed happily as she pulled him down the hall. With one more distrustful glare at them, the man in uniform followed. Wolfwood sagged a little the moment they were out of sight.

"Okay, Quatre," Wolfwood muttered into the band on his left wrist. "What do we do? You said to tell characters about the game, but this guy thinks he knows me."

A long silence followed before their interface answered. Quatre's voice was so quiet Heero and Duo eased closer to hear.

"There is precedence for this," Quatre said slowly, as if carefully choosing his words. "Some realms bear similarity to each other, even to the real world. It's possible you bear a visible resemblance to the 'Wolfwood' character you've replaced. In that case, explaining shouldn't disrupt game play any more than it would in other realms. But..."

Heero's eyes glinted. "But," he put in, "if he did replace a character so similar that characters in this realm can't tell the difference, then breaking the illusion could aversely affect our task. Right?"

"Yes," Quatre said, with audible reluctance. "As I said, some realms appear to have been modeled after our own. We've only recorded two cases of mistaken identity since beginning these forays into the game. In the first case, revealing the players had violent results. The characters refused to believe it, and the task was an outright failure. In the second case, the players went along with it, but they had considerable trouble later, when they tried to import characters from that realm."

Duo rolled his eyes, still feeling moody and pessimistic. "So either way, we're screwed."

"I'm afraid so," said Quatre. "I have a direct order from the programmer. You are to attempt the task without revealing the game. In future tasks, you are not to import any character from this realm. As this is a direct order, any failure that may result from following the order will not count against your record as players."

There was another pause. When Quatre spoke again, Duo had the distinct impression the boy was smiling gently. For the first time since meeting on the satellite, Quatre sounded like the kind and sensitive friend Duo had always considered him to be.

"Don't worry," said Quatre. "Normally if players fail two tasks, the team is pulled. But like Duo said, this is a lose-lose situation. You will never be held responsible for a failure that comes from following a direct order. Just focus on the task and do your best."

"Of course we'll do our best," Duo grinned. "Heero's on this mission."

Heero smirked, more for Duo's sudden mood change than the reference to his old 'mission accepted' attitude.

"Good luck," Quatre said, his smile more evident than ever. "I recommend turning the blue band off for the rest of this task. Even if I remain silent, the activated light may attract unwanted attention. Just don't forget to turn it back on afterward."

"Got it," said Duo. "Be hearing from you soon, Quatre."

"Good luck," Quatre said again.

Wolfwood removed the band and slipped it into his pocket. He was worried about having to keep up the ruse. Duo's suddenly cheerful smile caught him by surprise.

"You aren't worried?" asked Wolfwood.

"About the task," Duo nodded. "But it's worth it to have Quatre back. That's the first time he's really sounded like himself since we started."

"He has been pretty tense since we started playing," Wolfwood admitted. "But he's always tense when he refers to _The Game_. They've put a lot into this."

Heero turned a suspicious look on him. "How did you meet Quatre? And how much do you know about _The Game_? "

Wolfwood winced and gave the two a weak smile. "I've known him for a few months now. I was actually one of the maintenance workers helping them get the satellite ready for the simulations. There was an accident and Quatre was in the infirmary when I came to. I think he took responsibility for it, or something. He's a really nice kid, but a little too quick to blame himself, if you ask me. That's the only reason I ended up getting included in the groups - he sort of took me under his wing for a while there. Once we got the place ready for the participants, he invited me to stay on. I didn't think he actually expected me to make the cut, though. To hear him talk, he didn't want any of his friends involved in this thing."

"Then you already knew who we were?" asked Duo. "Why didn't you say anything about Quatre being behind this?"

"Oh, no, I didn't know you guys were friends of his till we met up with him in the amphitheater. He'd never mentioned anyone by name. It's just that the guys - you know those tired looking guys who read the instructions? - they let slip that he'd been isolating himself a lot since the last test runs. I'm pretty sure they were trying to encourage me to talk to him more. I couldn't tell if they were afraid of him because he's their boss, or if they were just too uncomfortable to try approaching him."

"So you were there before any of the other participants showed up," said Heero. "Do you know what happened with the last test run? Or where _The Game_ came from?"

"Don't know a thing," Wolfwood said quickly. "As far as I can tell, not even the guys knew anything more than rumors. Something about the last test going bad, people getting hurt or dropping out. They didn't even know who the programmer was. I figured it was Quatre, since he's the only one I've seen giving orders around there. But he's just an interface, so...your guess is as good as mine. The only thing I know about _The Game _is that it's impossible technology and they're trying to crack it to see what's behind it. And for some reason I ended up getting to be one of the lab rats instead of a janitor. All it took was a hard knock on the head and one guilt-prone kid."

"That's one way to get promoted," Duo smirked. "I wondered how you ended up in the group without having military experience. So Quatre took a shine to you, eh?"

Wolfwood blinked at Duo's suggestive smile and waved his hand suddenly. "Come on, it's not like that. He's way too young for me, for one thing. You guys are like, what, sixteen? Seventeen? I'm probably going on thirty. Not to mention that I think I'm straight..."

He grimaced and ran a hand over the light stubble on his face from that extended stay in their first task. He missed seeing Duo and Heero exchange a sharp look.

"You don't know how old you are?" asked Duo.

"What sort of accident were you in?" Heero asked a moment later.

Wolfwood gave that embarrassed wince again. He was saved from having to explain in detail.

A light tremor shook them as something exploded nearby. Screams and thumps sounded down the hall and people began peeking out the doors. A small cluster of men, dressed in the same uniform as the guard, approached them with accusatory glares on their faces. They made it four feet before being taken out by what looked like a tan humanoid robot.

"I got a knock on the head a few months ago,"Wolfwood said quickly. "Things have been a bit fuzzy since then. Doesn't seem to have affected my trigger finger, though. It looks like this is where we go save that girl."

Heero shoved his suspicions to the back of his mind and drew his cannon. The robot resembled nothing so much as a headless mannequin. It had a human shaped torso, a triangular head, and slender extensions for arms. Whatever it was, one short burst of his cannon had the thing exploding into little shards. The three of them passed the guards, who were battered but still alive, judging by their groans. Their task was to protect the girl. Finding her was their first priority.

A door opened as they ran down the hall, and more of those uniformed men rushed out to block their way. Heero scowled past them. They didn't even know where the girl had gone. He knew they should have followed her, whether the people here agreed to it or not. At this rate, even if they found her they'd be too late.

"It's them!" one of the men yelled.

Duo tossed his head in exasperation. "Do we _look_ like killer robots? Get out of the way and we'll take care of them. Go help your friends over there."

A choked scream and muffled thumps erupted from a closed room to their left. Duo freed his scythe and made short work of the door only to find lifeless corpses and no sign of their target or the enemies that had done the work. The display silenced the group of men, either because of Duo's weapon, or the murder that had taken place while their suspects were in clear sight of them.

"We have to find that girl," said Wolfwood. He turned on the staring men. "Vash! Where did Vash go?"

"That's how they got in," one of the men growled. "I knew we shouldn't keep letting him in here. He brought strangers - with _weapons_! Now look what's happened!"

"How many more of you are there?" another man demanded.

"What the hell?" Duo blurted. "We were standing right here. What makes you think we had anything to do with _that_?" He waved a hand at the room without actually looking at the bloody scene.

"We don't have time for this," said Heero. He leveled his cannon on the men blocking their way. "We're looking for a girl, dark hair in tails. She's in danger and we plan to help her. She's a friend of Vash. They were together the last time we saw them. Tell us where they might be or get out of the way. _Now_."

He was about to fire a short burst as a warning when the hallway lurched around them. That guard who'd glared at them earlier suddenly darted out of the hall the other men had come from. He barely even looked at them. He caught one of the uniformed men by the arm.

"What are you _doing_?" the man demanded. " I told you to lock down the corridors. We don't have time to deal with _them_. Reinforce the second plant. If we lose that the entire ship will go down!"

Heero stiffened and rounded on the guard. "This plant, generator, where is it?"

"You stay out of this," the man snapped.

Duo growled and snapped back at him, "We're trying to _help_, you bigoted ass!"

A hand shot out and pulled Duo back. Heero gave him a sharp look and spoke in English. "Arguing with them won't help. We don't have time to convince them. If this ship crashes, it won't just be that girl, we could all die."

"A hostage?" asked Duo. He was still furious with the idiots, but it was easy to check his anger when Heero was being so calm. "Force one of them to take us there?"

Heero gave a sharp nod that Duo never got to see. One moment they were standing together in the trembling corridor and the next there was nothing but black silence. Duo reached out blindly for where his partner had been standing, and a hand fumbled against his back. He caught it before it did more than pull at his coat.

"Heero?"

"Not so tight," said Wolfwood, somewhere to his left. "You'll break my wrist. Damn, you're strong..."

"I'm here," Heero said at the same time. He barely twitched when a hand promptly closed over his shoulder.

Duo let out a weak laugh and pulled the two of them closer. "What happened...?"

"You have failed the task," Setsuna's voice said from somewhere in front of them. Her familiar fire flickered into sight, such a dark purplish black that it didn't fully illuminate any of them.

"What?" Duo blurted. "How? Was there a time limit? Or were we supposed to stay with her after we first saw her?"

"If I give you the details, it will nullify your chance to attempt the task again," said Setsuna.

"That's not it, then," said Wolfwood. "So if we fail a task, we get to try it over?"

"There's no way," Duo protested, scowling at his friend's shadowy form. "We couldn't have followed her from the start. And we don't know if we failed because the ship crashed or because someone killed her while we were stuck with those morons in the hall. Unless we just go in and kill everyone who stands in our way. The only person who has to live is that girl, after all."

Even as he said it, his disgusted voice made it clear he wasn't serious. Especially after the death in their last task. Whether the realms were 'real' or not, there was no way he could just kill randomly like that. He'd wanted to beat that guard senseless, but he hadn't wanted to _kill_ him. There just didn't seem to be any other way to ensure they could complete the task if they were to try it again. And he didn't want to give up on the game this soon.

"What are our options?" Heero asked Setsuna. "Redo the task or leave the game?"

"You have the option to do this task over," she said. "If you decide to do so, the stakes will be higher the second time through. If you fail again, one of you will remain incorporated into the game."

"Incorporated?" asked Duo. "What does that mean?"

"An incorporated player is absorbed into the failed realm, with all memories replaced."

"The game can _do_ that?" asked Wolfwood. He shot a look in Heero's direction. "I think Duo's right - there's no way..."

"What are our options if we choose not to retry the task?" asked Heero.

"If you do not complete this task, you will be required to enter the realm at a later point and attempt a different task. In order to come back later, you must complete the next task you are given or forfeit your _'Light Trip.'_"

"We don't even know what this _'Light Trip'_ thing is," said Wolfwood. "Of course we'd rather risk forfeiting that, than losing someone."

"Not that we'll fail another task," Duo added. "Seems a little too good to be true, doesn't it? This _'Light Trip'_ must be something worth having. But not worth risking someone's life over."

Heero nodded and turned to Setsuna. "We'll complete the alternative task."

The guide hesitated for a long while, but the fire was so dark they couldn't see her expression. When she spoke, it was in a quiet voice. "Good luck, then."

The room shifted to black and then to blurry tan, a warm droning sensation all around them.

"Your task," said Setsuna, "is to keep your comrade from dying."

.-.  
TBC


	11. or Continue

I said the next part would be out 'very soon', right? Heh. Told ya. ;p  
I love short chapters. They make it easy to stay in the mood for quick updates. Got some yummy Heero-Duo cuteness coming up in a few parts. I can't wait to write it. :)

**The Game**

_Part 11: "…or continue"_

As soon as Setsuna announced their task, Duo had an urge to yell out 'I knew it.' There just had to be a catch. If they failed in the task they wouldn't just lose a _'Light Trip,' _one of them would die. As soon as the landscape showed itself he found out which one of them was at risk. He barely bit back a keening cry at the sudden pain.

He was kneeling on the ground when the realm materialized around them. He immediately pitched over onto his side. Everything hurt. It felt as if a mobile suit had stepped on him and then kicked him around for sport. A booted foot flew right past where he'd been kneeling. He could just make out the owner as a blurry woman with blonde hair. She whipped around when she missed her target and appeared to be floating in midair. Duo grimaced and fumbled for his scythe. He shouldn't have. There was something seriously wrong with his right arm. That slight movement made his head pound until he wanted to throw up. What kind of realm had they been put into?

Wolfwood found himself standing at the edge of a small bluff. A paved road was behind him, laid alongside a slight cliff. Two men were fighting in front of him. In the air. One of them was glowing with a golden light and had spiky blonde hair. The other looked more normal, though he, too, was flying, and they were both moving so fast he had trouble following them. The 'normal' one, a slender man with straight black hair to his shoulders, caught the other and slung him to the ground a few yards below. The stricken one stopped glowing when he hit the ground and his hair settled into loose lavender. Wolfwood didn't really stop to wonder at that. Once he was looking down he spotted Duo.

He was suddenly glad to find his weapon had reverted to normal, once more ensconced over his right arm. He leveled the barrel on the blonde woman hovering over Duo's crumpled form. He'd just started to scramble down the steep incline when that black-haired teen appeared in front of him. Was he the enemy they had to defeat, or was it the glowing one?

Heero reacted to the sudden shift in landscape as quickly as Duo had. For some reason he found himself shivering, filled with an alien fear he couldn't understand. He'd never felt fear like that. It wasn't his. He wasn't afraid, either. He was furious. His gaze immediately swept over the road and valley to take stock of the situation.

Wolfwood was blocked by a flying man, who was sending strange looks from him to the valley below. Hiei, who they certainly hadn't imported voluntarily, was crouched about ten feet from Heero. He was surrounded by a purplish black flame and had a strange shadow flickering around in his third eye. He must have been caught in the middle of something because he was scruffed and growling with fury, fury at them, apparently. There was another stranger lying unconscious just below where Wolfwood was standing. And Duo was curled on the ground to their left with a blonde woman, who looked remarkably similar to the black-haired man, hovering over him. She kicked him onto his back and leaned over to get a closer look at him. Heero missed blasting her head off by a few inches. Whatever she was, she was fast enough to see the beam coming and to dodge it without losing more than a few strands of hair.

Heero jumped down the incline. The woman flitted back with a funny look on her face. He heard Wolfwood open fire on the black-haired man who'd blocked his path, but he didn't look to see if he'd managed to hit him. What was with this task? Keep their comrade from dying? Duo looked as if he were already dying and they'd just arrived here.

The blonde woman dropped until her feet touched the ground. She stood watching from a few feet away, her arms folded over her chest and her gaze flicking past him. Heero risked a quick look behind him. Duo's face was ashen, but he was moving.

"Duo?"

There was a world of tight anger and concern in that word. Duo was just sorry he couldn't really appreciate it at the moment. He made it as far as his knees and wavered there. He'd been banged up quite a bit as a pilot, but he'd never felt as bad as this. His ribs were probably broken. He could taste blood in his mouth and his voice came out so raspy he barely recognized it. "I'll live."

"Be still," Heero said sharply, turning his full attention back on the woman. "I have this."

Duo felt a faint smile pull at his lips. If that woman took a hit from Heero's cannon at point blank range, there'd be nothing left of her. And Heero sounded very determined to do just that. They didn't even know who she was. Maybe the person Duo had replaced in this realm had deserved to be beaten into a pulp. They couldn't assume she was an enemy just because the game set them up that way. It wasn't like Heero to act before fully understanding the situation. He must have looked every bit as battered as he felt.

"Back away," Heero said to the woman, "or I'll kill you."

She quirked an eyebrow at him and glanced over her shoulder at the black-haired man. Heero could see that he and Wolfwood were no longer fighting, but the stranger was still blocking him from coming any closer.

"How did I end up fighting a couple of kids?" the woman asked, in a tone that was both amused and annoyed at the same time.

"How should I know?" the black-haired man snorted.

The woman turned back and Heero tensed when she lifted an arm in a slow careless sort of way. He didn't know what she was going to do, but he had every intention of firing on her before she could finish. He didn't get a chance to. There was a waft of heat on his face, a resounding crack right in front of him, and two explosions. One fell to the side of where Duo was kneeling, tossing bits rock and dirt over them both, and the other impact raised a plume of dust a few yards to their left.

The woman pulled herself out of the groove she'd dug in the rocky ground. A faint bruise colored one side of her face and she looked as shocked as Heero. She clutched the injury with wide eyes. "My face!"

Heero blinked at Hiei, who was standing in front of him with his fist still raised from where he'd struck the woman aside. That strange black fire around him and the fury in his too dark eyes made him look far more threatening than the woman had.

"You meddling humans," Hiei growled at Heero. "Send me back. Now. If they die while I'm stuck here with you, I'll kill you myself."

The blonde woman was on her feet and staring at Hiei in outrage. "He _hit_ me!"

"And you didn't even see him coming," the black-haired man smirked. "Serves you right for wasting time picking off kids. Let's go. If they're going to challenge each other instead of us, there's no point hanging around here."

The pair took to the sky, watching them from a distance. Heero spared them one look - they appeared to be bickering with each other for the moment, the woman gesturing toward them angrily and the man watching her with amusement - then he turned his gaze back to Hiei. He gave him a sharp nod and moved back to Duo.

"You should be sent back soon," Heero said to Hiei. "Our task is to keep Duo alive. As long as they're not threatening us, we should have completed the task."

He put an arm around Duo's shoulders so he was leaning on him rather than supporting himself. "Is there internal damage?"

"Yeah," Duo muttered, grimacing at the taste in his mouth. "But I'll live. Shit. I _knew_ there had to be some catch. You fail a task and no matter what you pick, you'll end up risking someone. Dangerous. Quatre wasn't kidding..."

Hiei glared darker and stepped aside so Wolfwood could crouch beside them. "If I get rid of the threat, I'll be sent back?"

"Probably," said Wolfwood. "But you can't kill them when they're not doing anything."

"Watch me," growled Hiei.

"Wait!" Duo grimaced. "We don't even know if-"

Hiei took two steps toward the bickering pair overhead, and everything changed. Duo almost greeted the familiar sight of Setsuna's fire with relief. He would have, except his injuries hadn't changed at all. Somehow he'd thought they would disappear along with the realm as soon as the task was completed. Heero must have thought the same thing because he looked even angrier than before.

"Congratulations on completing the task," said Setsuna.

"What is this?" demanded Hiei. "Why am I still with you?" He rounded on Heero. "Send me back!"

"Can we?" Duo asked Setsuna.

"Of course." As soon as she said it, Hiei disappeared. In his place was their 'Import Queue', complete with three new sections and a star next to Hiei's name. "You have acquired a second _'Light Trip'_, as well as your 'Replay' portal for when you choose to attempt the failed realm again."

A gray doorway now stood across the fire from them. Heero barely spared it a glance. Duo seemed determined to stand up and he was occupied trying to keep him as immobile as possible.

"How do we heal this?" asked Heero.

"You have acquired two _'Light Trips,'_" said Setsuna. "Do you wish to use one?"

"Will one of these _'Light Trips'_ heal me?" asked Duo.

"Yes."

"And we have two," said Duo. "How do we get a new one?"

"You acquire a _'Light Trip'_ each time you use import characters to successfully complete a task," said Setsuna. "Do you wish to use one now?"

Duo had the idea they shouldn't be quick to jump into decisions, but he wasn't going to make it though another task the way he was. He sent a guilty smile at Heero and Wolfwood. "At least we'll still have one left."

"We'll use one now," Heero said to Setsuna.

"You have options for the _'Light Trip,'_" Setsuna explained. "Any of your import characters with a star may join you on the trip. Do you wish to bring an import character with you?"

"No," said Heero. He assumed there was some reason they might want to bring import characters with them, but now wasn't the time to experiment.

"For your _'Light Trip'_, you currently have four locations available to you. All players will be refreshed regardless of the location you choose." She waved a hand at the wall behind them and a new portal appeared.

"_Eden_," and here the portal shifted to show a view of a garden setting, pools, hotsprings, flowers, some sort of natural landscape. "There no people in _Eden_.

"_Cephiro_," the scene shifted to what looked like a resort or a spa, with servants pampering guests, others lounging and talking, among a quiet atmosphere. "There are importable characters in _Cephiro_, but the treatments available will reduce your credit.

_"Wanderweb_," a small village with buildings that looked a lot like the inns they'd stayed in during their first task. "There are importable characters in _Wanderweb_ as well as shops and a library of hints. The library is free for unlimited use, but using the shops will reduce your credit.

"And lastly, _Risk_," which looked like a congested city, narrow lanes filled with street vendors and a medley of suspicious looking people. "Like all _'Light Trips,' _players will be refreshed upon entering _Risk_. But you may be injured again before your time is up, depending on your actions. _Risk_ deals in trade, and is the only place to acquire rare items without completing a task."

"Which destination do you choose?" asked Setsuna.

"Give us a minute," Duo said quickly, with a weak grin. "That _Risk_ sounds like the most rewarding one."

"Too dangerous," said Heero.

"Yeah," Duo sighed, "at least right now. _Wanderweb_ might be good - if the hints are about the game, maybe we can find out where we screwed up in that one realm. It has shops, too. If the items are like other games, we can probably find something to heal us without having to waste a _'Light Trip'_ each time."

"_Eden_ sounds like a better place to rest, though," said Wolfwood. "No people there. Getting pampered by a well-trained staff wouldn't be a bad thing, either"

Heero agreed with him, but didn't say anything. Duo wouldn't accept a trip that didn't gain anything for them. He was probably angry with himself for setting them back, even though it was through no fault of his own. It could easily have been any of them who'd ended up injured, depending on how the game replaced the original characters. But it wasn't like the injuries were permanent. Because it wasn't real. All they had to do was walk through a doorway and everything would be healed. Right? So it didn't really matter where they chose to go.

Duo was smirking at Wolfwood. "I don't know about you, mister _'I think I'm straight,' _but as fun as the idea of a bunch of scantily dressed girls rubbing oil on me sounds, I'd rather check out the hints in that library. We can stop by the wetdream world another time."

"I was thinking about what would be most comfortable for _you_," Wolfwood drawled, his eyebrow twitching.

"Sure you were," said Duo. "_Wanderweb_ it is, then. Right?"

Heero nodded. They turned to find Setsuna smiling at them.

"A _'Light Trip' _to any world but _Risk_ lasts for one of your real-time days. Enjoy your stay."

**.-.  
****TBC**


	12. Light Trip to Wanderweb

Notes: The realm in the last part was from Dragonball Z, the android saga. They didn't get to stay very long, so it might not have been self-evident.

**The Game**

_Part 12: "Light Trip to Wanderweb"_

The first thing Duo noticed when they arrived was that he didn't feel particularly refreshed. His wounds were healed. He could tell because his arm was no longer a twisted, lumpy growth too painful to even look at. And his chest didn't have that constricted pull to it when he breathed. But he could still taste blood in his mouth and he felt like the slightest bump would send him tumbling over. At least his head wasn't making him sick to his stomach anymore. It was just making him want to pass out and sleep for a few weeks.

He listed to the side and Heero immediately put an arm out to support him. The continued concern on his partner's face made him wince in embarrassment.

"I'm just tired," said Duo. "I'm all healed up, so I'll be okay in a minute."

"It's fine," said Heero. "There's no rush."

It wasn't like Heero minded supporting him. If he'd had his way, he'd have actually carried him. The sooner Duo got off his feet, the better. He didn't say any of that because it would only have embarrassed him further. He pulled Duo's arm over his shoulders and did his best to wipe the worried look off his face. Wolfwood looked like he was tempted to help. Heero was glad he didn't. He was fully capable of helping Duo on his own.

They were standing on a dusty road in front of the inn-like building they'd seen through the portal. Now that they had a wider view of the place, they could see that it was actually a village laid out alongside a slow stream. Fields were visible on the other side of the road, giving the area a rustic, peaceful feel. As they approached the door, a rickety horse-drawn cart passed them, the elderly driver waving a hand and nodding as if they were old friends.

"Old fashioned place," Duo murmured. "It's kinda nice."

"Yeah," said Wolfwood.

The door opened before they could reach for it and a young man came out to greet them. He was surprisingly pretty with straight golden blonde hair, short along the back of his neck, and pale blue eyes. He didn't reach out to them, but he held the door, and his smile was warm and subdued.

"Welcome," he said. "I'm Ernest, current Keeper of the Inn. Come in and have a seat. I'll make you some tea while Mitsukake-san checks you over. Please feel free to spend your night here. There's no charge."

"Thank you," said Heero.

They entered what was clearly a dining area, complete with an unmanned bar, small round tables laid with plain cloths, a single pale blue rose in a vase at the center of each. Windows lined the front of the room, giving the interior a soft golden sheen. Their guide directed them to a table near the bar and left through a curtained doorway behind it. They'd no sooner sat down than he reappeared with a tall older man.

This one was broad shouldered, in his mid thirties, with short dark brown hair held out of his face by a dark blue headband, and sober eyes. He introduced himself as Mitsukake, Resident Healer of _Wanderweb_. And he smiled when Heero made no move to accept the hand he offered.

"It's not just a greeting," Mitsukake explained, amused by Heero's stubbornness. "I heal through my right hand. Everyone who enters Wanderweb is to be checked. There's no harm. It'll only take a moment of contact."

Duo elbowed Heero in the side and rolled his eyes at him. Heero scowled a bit, but reluctantly accepted the handshake. He didn't feel any different afterward, but then, he hadn't exactly felt injured or tired to begin with.

He scowled more when the man reached Duo and leaned over to touch his forehead. The way he brushed Duo's bangs out of his eyes was so soft and gentle that it made Heero bristle. He almost growled at the man to get the hell away from him. He couldn't help it. The man was a complete stranger, game created or not, and the way he looked at Duo was so familiar they might as well have been lovers. It wasn't just a moment of contact, either. Nearly a minute passed before he finally straightened and backed out of Duo's personal space. Duo looked more surprised than uncomfortable, so Heero forced himself not to make too much of it. The man _was_ a healer, after all. Supposedly.

Mitsukake didn't seem to notice the death glare Heero was giving him. He gave Duo a warm smile waved at the table. "You need a little rest, but your injuries have completely healed. Drink all of what Ernest gives you and you should feel refreshed within the hour."

The blonde youth saw him to the door and then returned with a tray of thick brown mugs that let off wafts of fragrant steam. He smiled again when Duo didn't hesitate in trying the drink.

"Have you been traveling long?" asked Ernest.

"Traveling?" Wolfwood repeated. He shot a look at Heero, who frowned back at him. "Do you mean in _The Game_?"

Ernest blinked and something flickered in his eyes for a moment before disappearing. Heero immediately wondered if they'd done something wrong. Setsuna had spoken of 'import characters' inside this particular _'Light Trip'_ destination. So he'd assumed that meant it was normal to explain the game the same way they had to other characters they'd met.

"You're..._players_," Ernest said, after a moment. "I see. You'll have to forgive me. I've never met a player before. I haven't been waiting here as long as some of the others."

The drink they'd been given was ridiculously good. Duo was sure it was tea of some sort, but it had a spicy sweet flavor and a pleasant burn that made him think of alcohol. He was almost glad they'd only been given one mug of the stuff. It woke him up enough that he was sure he could have gotten addicted to it easily. He set his mug down and tilted his head at the blonde.

"Waiting?" asked Duo. "What are you waiting for?"

"This is _Wanderweb_," said Ernest, as if that explained something. "Everyone here is waiting for someone. This is a peaceful place so many travelers decide to wait here. But you're _players_. You only have a day. I won't keep you. When you're up to it, the library is in the shrine behind the Inn. You should be able to find the shops on your own. They circle the shrine two arcs deep. Please ring me when you're ready to settle for the night. I'll have a meal and rooms prepared for you."

He gave a formal bow and disappeared through the curtained doorway once more. The moment he was gone, Duo turned and quirked an eyebrow at his friends.

"That was weird," said Duo. "What do you think that means?"

"Maybe the characters can travel to different realms without players," Wolfwood offered. "And some of them end up in these _'Light Trip'_ places. Waiting for players to come by needing a refresher?"

"There's no reason for that," Heero frowned. "The players would never know the characters were traveling unless they asked."

"I don't think it's a player he's waiting for, anyway," said Duo. "Did either of you get this sort of...sad and creepy vibe from him when he said they were all 'waiting for someone'?"

"Maybe," said Wolfwood. "He seemed lonely."

"And like he said something he shouldn't have?" Duo pushed. "Maybe it's a hint. Like if they're all waiting for someone, and we happen to bring the person one of them is waiting for - one of our import characters...then... I don't know. It's like that girl in the first task, remember, Heero? Do a good deed and you get a reward, or information, or just gratitude from the character you helped. It does make sense if you think about it that way."

Wolfwood gave him an uncertain look. "You might be trying to rationalize it a little too much, there. I mean, there doesn't have to be a reason for everything in the game, right? Take this room, for instance. We have these crude mugs and yet there are pretty roses on the tables. Sort of mismatched, isn't it? And that guy was right there to greet us when we got here, but he had to go fetch the Healer. No reason to think too hard about every little detail."

"I guess," sighed Duo. "Well, since we only get a day, we might as well get started exploring the place. I can check out the library while you guys do rounds of the shops. I'm feeling better, but I'd probably still slow you down if I have to walk around too much."

"I'll go with you," said Heero. "Wolfwood can see if there's anything interesting in the shops. Right?"

"Sure," said Wolfwood.

Duo twitched and shot Heero a disgruntled and slightly resentful look. "I'm perfectly capable of looking around a library by myself. It's not like I'm going to pass out if I sit at a table too long."

"I know that," Heero said, in a perfectly neutral tone. "I want to see this library as well. And if the hints are texts, you'll need someone who can read Japanese."

"Oh," Duo blinked. "Texts. Writing. Right. I forgot about that."

Wolfwood smirked at how smoothly Heero had handled that. He pushed away from the table and flashed them a smile. "Ready to go, then? I'll see you guys to that shrine and meet you back there after I scout the shops."

"Sounds good," said Heero. "I don't know what this 'credit' is, but if you see something we'll need, buy it. Depending on how many pertinent hints this library has, we may not have time to debate prices and go back to the shops before the trip ends."

An hour later found Duo sitting in a soft-backed chair next to a window that looked out over a sparkling stream that wasn't there. The shrine was a tall circular marble building surrounded by grass, a dirt road, and then little shops in a semicircle behind the inn. There was no stream anywhere near it. But the view outside the window showed a stream as real as any he'd ever seen. If the stream hadn't been so simple, pretty, and calming, it would have struck him as disturbing. The library had already reminded them that this _Wanderweb_ wasn't pretending to be part of their reality. Instead of books with written words, it was an archive of...balls. Little crystal gems the size of an orange arranged in tiny alcoves according to the realms and tasks they displayed.

Heero picked a few that looked particularly useful and brought them back to the table Duo was sitting by. There didn't appear to be anyone manning the library, but a delicate refreshment tray had filled itself the moment they entered the doors. They took that to mean they were supposed to sit there while they 'read', so that was just what they did.

Each of the crystals had a miniature world inside, like footage taken from all sides so that they could turn the gem to change the perspective of the scenes they were looking at. One of the first ones Heero had found was for the 'demons' realm, a hint regarding the 'Game Master' task they'd completed earlier. The hint was a lot more helpful than they would have thought. As far as they could tell, the gem showed the original 'game play' of that realm.

Kurama, Hiei, and a group of strangers defeated the Game Master - with considerably more trouble and drama than what they'd gone through. Then Kurama fought and killed the silent man they'd seen standing to the side of the cave in order to rescue their captured comrade. In retrospect, the hint wouldn't have made things simpler for them. They hadn't fought anyone once they'd reached Wolfwood. But knowing ahead of time what sort of 'games' the Game Master had in store for them - including the order of the games - would have been useful.

"Would have been, could have been," Duo sighed, setting the gem back in the basket with the others Heero had brought over. "These hints are good if we have to try a realm over again - assuming we can find that desert task we screwed up. But we keep picking random. How are we supposed to know ahead of time what tasks we'll get? We could look at a dozen of these things and chances are we wouldn't find one that had a realm we'd be going into next."

"They're free hints," said Heero. "If they were easy, they would be harder to get access to."

Duo smiled at that. "You're getting the hang of this game thing. Normal games give you hints, but most of it's fumbling around trying to find your way through. You can get strategy guides, cheats from people who've already beaten the game, but you're _supposed_ to do it on your own. Since no one's ever beaten this game, this place is probably the best we're going to find for cheats. Any luck tracking down that task?"

"I can't even find anything for the realm," Heero frowned. "There are a lot of desert realms, but none of them have the sort of lost technology that one had."

Duo leaned back and let his eyes travel around the room. There were three floors to it, with circular steps and balconies on each layer. And the walls glittered with so many gems it was almost painful to look at them for too long. It was gorgeous. And ridiculous.

"Heero."

"Yes?"

"Don't you think this is a little excessive? Why would a single game have so many tasks no one could ever complete them in one lifetime?"

"A lot of things in this game make no sense," said Heero.

"That's true," Duo sighed. "This...library...needs a computer system. Or even one of those card catalogues to organize these things."

"Agreed."

"No help for it, though," said Duo. He pulled the basket over to him and picked another of the little gems out at random. "I'll start looking through these."

"I'll try that side again," said Heero. "If nothing else, maybe we can discern a pattern to the tasks. Unless multiple people designed the challenges, the tasks should get repetitive eventually."

Duo nodded, with a faint but hopeful smile. The more of those gems he looked at the less hope he had that they'd discover some trick to make completing tasks easier. The only duplication they'd found was the way Kurama and Yukimura's voices had been practically identical. Some of the people in the orbs resembled ones from other realms, but there were more differences than similarities. Whoever had designed this game must have had a world of time on his hands. It was absolutely ridiculous. And so intriguing he wanted to slap himself for ever getting into this.

A lifetime of available tasks. And they'd only been playing for a few days. He'd certainly found a cure for his boredom...

**.-.  
****TBC**

**Notes: **Mitsukake comes from Fushigi Yuugi. Ernest comes from Pilot Candidate (or Candidate for Goddess).


	13. Items and credit

**The Game**

_Part 13: "Items and credit"_

After a few hours of browsing through the library, Duo decided it was a lot like watching random home videos featuring people he didn't know. A lot of the scenes didn't even have clear tasks in them. There was one that involved nothing but a boy on a bicycle riding up and down a busy street and a cat walking along a wall. What sort of task was that supposed to be a shot of? Another one featured ten minutes of two gorgeous guys sitting by an ornate fountain and staring at each other. Watching that had made him feel like a voyeur and he still couldn't figure out how it represented a task.

He cricked his neck to the side and picked up a dark purplish gem. It featured a little girl in a black dress chasing after a flying hat until she eventually jumped on it and pinned it down. If that was a task, some of them were really...dumb. He exchanged it for a dark red ball that featured a boy in armor cutting open the underside of a dragonish lizard to get a glowing pink...thing...from its gullet. Now that was a task he could understand being at least a little challenging - if only because it was gross and involved getting sprayed with green dragon-lizard slime.

A warm cup of tea was pressed into his hand. He looked up in surprise. "Hey, thanks."

"Are you feeling better?" asked Heero. He sat down across from him and poured himself a cup from that constantly full refreshment tray.

"Oh. Yeah, I'm fine," Duo said, waving a hand. "There's just a lot of weird stuff here. And I'm not getting anything from it. I think the only thing I've learned is that the tasks in this game range from really stupid and simple, to too complicated to figure out what the point of the scene is. Look at this one."

Heero accepted the pink orb. He immediately raised an eyebrow at the scene it showed. "That's a boy."

"Yeah," Duo nodded.

"Do they not know it's a boy, or is the entire school gay...?"

"Exactly," Duo nodded again. "I told you, there's some weird stuff here. Look at this one."

Heero took one look and choked on his tea. "We won't get that task."

"I hope not," Duo said, in an overly serious tone. "We're missing the proper equipment."

"She blinded it with her pubic hair."

"Yeah."

Heero put the gem in the basket and shook his head. He'd never seen so much of a female's anatomy before and hoped he never did again. He didn't even want to think about the monster the girl had been having sex with. _The Game_ had clearly not been made for minors. He cleared his throat and took a soothing drink of his tea.

"I'm glad you're feeling better," said Heero.

Duo couldn't help but smile at how serious Heero's expression was. "I noticed. You seemed really worried about me. It was kind of embarrassing, actually. You know I can take care of myself, right?"

"I know that," Heero frowned. "It's just-"

"It was kind of nice, too," Duo admitted. Heero closed his mouth again, and Duo gave an ironic smile. "It reminded me of the time you got me out of that base. I was just a burden then, the failed pilot who went and got himself caught. It's probably the most humiliating thing that's ever happened to me, but it's kind of funny, too. You'd just as soon have shot me instead of breaking me out. Here you were worried for hours and it's just a game. If I'd actually died, would you have quit the game? Or taken it as a failure and gone ahead to finish the mission without me?"

Heero's face twisted. Duo couldn't tell what emotion it was. Disgust, anger, surprise, hurt? Heero looked insulted. He didn't know what to make of that. It was a simple question, given their history together. He knew for a fact barely a year ago Heero wouldn't have thought twice about completing his mission despite the death of a fellow pilot. He'd all but said just that to Quatre, warning him not to get close to his comrades because he might not be able to function when he lost one of them. It was a matter of principle. Heero's dogma. It was what had made him the best soldier among them.

When Heero spoke, it was in a cool, slightly resentful tone. "If I'd had any idea this game could injure us from the very beginning that way, I wouldn't have agreed to take part in it. I would have talked you out of participating as well. Now, we're both going to defeat it."

"So what does that mean?" asked Duo.

"We're both in this," Heero frowned. "We know what sort of threats we face. I'd defeat this with you or not at all. If something happened to you, of course I'd quit. Why wouldn't I? We're not doing this to save lives or to protect people."

"That's true," Duo winced. "I guess it was a stupid comparison."

"Yes, it was."

"Sorry," Duo offered quietly. Heero didn't look completely mollified, but he did look a little less defensive and angry. Duo offered him a wan smile. "But you know, you're really starting to get into the spirit of this sort of game. Making a bond with your partner and all."

"We already had a bond," said Heero. "That's _why_ we're partners."

Duo noticed that Heero was getting better at saying that. He didn't look nearly as stiff, though he still looked away afterward.

Duo gave a wry smile. "Still, back when you broke me out of that cell I never would have imagined you'd end up protecting me like you did earlier. It was really...a nice surprise."

He'd been too dazed to really appreciate it, but he remembered how angry and worried Heero had been. For him. Because of him. Sure, it went along with them being partners, taking care of each other and working as a unit. But it was different, too. They'd watched each other's backs during the war, but Heero had never seemed to really care. To worry.

"I guess we're more friends than partners now," Duo murmured.

Heero blinked and looked almost wary for a second. He hid it a moment later behind an uncertain frown. "Maybe. You're the best friend I've had. For what it's worth."

That was too nice to hear. Duo smirked with a hint of teasing in his eyes, instinctively lightening the mood. "Don't be so modest, Heero. It's worth plenty." He waved a hand in front of him. "That's like a step away from admitting I'm better than-"

His eyes had caught on his wristband. The light was off. He jerked back and snapped wide eyes to Heero. "Quatre! He has no idea we failed that mission. We never had Wolfwood put his band back on. And now ours aren't even reading..."

Heero frowned and looked at his own band. "They must not be able to track us into the _'Light Trip'_ realms. He did say there were some places he couldn't follow."

"How much do you think his computer reads about our progress?" asked Duo. "He said they were making some sort of map of the known realms, so he can probably tell where we've been. But he wouldn't know if we failed or completed a task unless we tell him, right? That's a really hands-off approach."

"It's not like him," said Heero. "He's a better leader than that. I can see why he'd stay disconnected during that desert realm, but even in the others he only spoke when we did something he didn't like."

"You think it has to do with the last test runs?"

"Possibly," said Heero. "He seems to be waiting for the right chance to give orders. He obviously has an invested interest in this game."

"He wants something from it that he's not telling us about," Duo nodded. "Like if he gets too close and drops his guard, he'll let something slip that he wants to keep a secret."

"That means until he confides in us we can't trust him on face value. We don't know if he's willing to endanger us to achieve his objective as long as we don't know _what_ his goal is."

"I don't know if I'd go _that_ far," Duo winced. "He's hiding something, but that doesn't mean he'd risk us for it. He didn't even want us involved."

"That makes it even more likely that the people he's involving are expendable," said Heero. "He didn't want to involve his friends because that would mean endangering them as well. Until we know more, we should keep a close eye on the orders he gives us."

"But you're not going to quit the game just because you suspect him of hiding something, right?"

Heero blinked in surprise. "I didn't plan to."

"Good," Duo sighed. He gave a weak, almost guilty smile. "Quatre's weird behavior, hidden motives and whatever aside, I really want to know more about this thing. It just wouldn't be the same playing if you cut out early."

The door of the shrine-slash-library opened with a soft snick. Duo grinned and tagged an addendum onto his sentiment. "A self sufficient sniper's handy, too. We get to sit around and chat while he goes off exploring and comes back bearing gifts! What have you got there, Wolfwood?"

Wolfwood raised an eyebrow at Duo's quirky smile. He pulled a chair over to their table and set a tan sack on the table. It was small enough to fit in a person's palm and closed with a drawstring at the top. He pulled the string open so he could reach inside.

"Items," said Wolfwood. "I'm still not sure if our credit gets counted per task, or if the imported characters we pick up and use figure into it, too. But we had a good handful of credit so I stocked up on a few things. They all fit into this one little bag, too. It's really weird."

Duo grinned. "You non-gamers are cute when you're all clueless like that. Item bags in games let you carry your entire inventory without taking up space. Otherwise you'd have to go back and get more constantly. It's just one of those game tricks."

"You would know," Wolfwood shrugged. "First we have elixers. Supposedly if you drink one bottle it'll restore a person to full health."

He pulled out a little capped crystal bottle, roughly the size of a shot glass with a long tapered neck on top. The glass was dark blue and cloudy so they could barely make out the shadowy liquid inside.

"I got five of them," said Wolfwood. "I'd have gotten more, but they're really expensive. There was only one girl running all the shops here. I asked her about other healing things, but elixers are all they carry. She said the best item to get are feathers. Phoenix feathers. They're supposed to bring a person back to life, whether it's a player, an import character, or even a random character in the realm. You can't buy those anywhere. The only way to get them is to take the _Risk_ _'Light Trip'_, or to trade for one while attempting a task. I don't know what you'd trade for them, though. She said it depended on who had the feather and what he wanted for it."

Duo tensed a little and shot a sharp look at Heero. "We need to nab a few of those. I knew there had to be some way around 'death' in this game. Especially if it's supposed to be real outside the game, too."

"Agreed," said Heero.

"Other stuff," Wolfwood muttered, rummaging in the little bag. He pulled out a card with a picture of a rifle on it and the word 'repair' across the front. "They sell weapons in the shape of cards here. You're supposed to be able to turn them into the real thing during fights, but you can't do that in the _'Light Trip'_ realms. This card is for repairing the weapons we already have. She gave it to me for free, but said it would take up credit each time we use it. She said we'd know when our weapons need to be repaired because they'd start to make us sick when we used them. Weak and tired, like that.

"She was really helpful. I think her name is Aerith, or Aeris, something like that. She's been to seven of the _'Light Trip'_ spots, so I guess we'll have access to more the further we get in the game. She gave me a few tips about the import characters, too. It doesn't matter how many import characters we use. Each time we import even one into a realm and complete the task there, we get a new _'Light Trip.'_ So the next time we're offered the chance to...trade out...a player, we should probably do it."

Duo nodded, though he didn't really like the idea of endangering a 'game' character if it were a task like their last one. It seemed like the cowardly way out.

"Another thing," said Wolfwood. "The characters we meet here can be chosen as playable characters once we leave, so a _'Light Trip'_ is the best place to find new characters without actually completing tasks. The only problem is the number of new people we meet is limited. There are only as many usable characters as you come in with."

"Three of us, three of them?" asked Duo. "So when we get out of here we'll have Ernest, Mitsukake, and that girl you met in our queue. A healer would be really useful..."

"Yeah," nodded Wolfwood. "That's another reason to bring our extra characters into the _'Light Trip'_ with us. The more we bring in, the more new ones we'll meet. But we can only bring an import character in if he has a star, and we'll have to use him again in a new task afterward to get him a new star."

"So if we keep bringing the same people in over and over, we'll keep meeting new people each time?" asked Duo.

Wolfwood shrugged. "That's about the only thing she didn't know for sure. There might be a limit, or we might meet the same people every time. Like if the three of us came in alone again, we'd end up seeing the three of them until we brought in a new face. She wasn't really sure how that worked."

"It's probably limited," said Duo. "The game's probably set up so we're encouraged to bring different people each time. That way we'll have to use different people in different tasks instead of sticking with our favorites. It'll make things harder, but it'll also keep us from missing out on finding really useful characters. If we learn what each one can do, we know who to use if we get stuck doing another replay later."

Wolfwood put the elixer and the card back into the sack and helped himself to some of the refreshments on the tray. After a while, he let out a sigh. He flashed a frown at Duo.

"I got something else, too," Wolfwood said slowly. "I don't know what to make of it, and I really don't want to believe it, but...that girl was really straightforward about it..."

"What is it?" asked Heero.

"It's about this place," said Wolfwood, "_Wanderweb_, and the people here. Those travelers? She said they were all...dead. And this is a waystation. She said everyone here was waiting for someone because they all died alone..."

"In the _game_?" asked Duo.

"That's just it," Wolfwood frowned. "She acted like if we died, we'd end up here, too."

He managed a weak laugh. "She invited me to help her tend one of the shops when I found my way here later."

Duo stared at him. Whatever this girl said must have unnerved him, because Wolfwood was a little paler than usual. He didn't know whether to laugh or shiver.

"So all the characters we meet here are...ghosts?" asked Duo. "And one of them hit on you."

Wolfwood laughed for real this time. "I think she was being more friendly than anything. But, yeah, they're all dead. I didn't know you could shake hands with a ghost, but that's what she said."

"Yeah," Duo sighed. "This place is weird. Good thing it's just a game. I know way too many people I do _not_ want to meet up with as ghosts."

He'd killed most of them himself. He decided not to mention that, though. Wolfwood didn't seem to know much about their past as Gundam Pilots, and Duo wanted to keep it that way. Besides, it wasn't like he was superstitious. As long as they didn't meet up with anyone who looked like Treize, or one of the doctors, he'd be just fine.

**.-.  
****TBC **


	14. Remembering the past

_Notes: _Extra short part, almost entirely dialogue.

**The Game**

_Part 14: "Remembering the past"_

Dinner had been an awkward thing, mostly because Ernest didn't act or look like someone who was supposed to be 'dead.' According to Heero, Japanese ghosts didn't have feet. They just had these spiral points like genies or something. And as far as Duo knew, all ghosts were see through, no matter what country they hailed from. Then there was the fact that he could touch things, and Duo had caught him breathing as much as any living person. He was pretty sure ghosts and dead people didn't need to breathe. Altogether, he was left with the impression that this 'they're all dead here' thing was just another hype made up by _The Game_ to make this realm appear even stranger than it already was.

Nightfall found Duo on the balcony in the back of the inn. Like the window in the library, it looked out over that pretty stream that wasn't really there. Heero joined him after a while and they sat together, just looking at the wrong-colored sky. It was blue and purple, with what looked like clouds but clearly weren't. It was dark and pretty in a 'clearly not real' sort of way. Eventually Duo decided he liked it. He also liked how they could see the moon shimmering on that not-there stream despite the fact that there wasn't a moon in the sky.

They ended up discussing how strange the game was, and this realm in particular. That led to something Duo had been wondering about, especially after realizing they'd failed to update Quatre before going to not one, but two additional realms.

"I wonder if we can save our game," Duo muttered. "Pause it, go back to the real world, and then come back in where we left off later. We've probably been in here for weeks. It seems strange that Quatre never said anything about us saving and taking a break."

"We can ask Setsuna when we get back to the port," said Heero.

"Yeah. She'd probably tell us more than Quatre, anyway. And it's not like anyone will miss me if I stay in here for a few months without coming out."

"Not even Hilde?" asked Heero.

Duo sighed. "Not even. She knew I was getting restless before I did. When I left I told her I'd probably wander around if my plans fell through. She promised to hold onto my mail and forward it if I settled down somewhere. Like that would happen."

"I thought you'd already settled down," Heero admitted. "Started a _normal _life."

There was a strange emphasis put on the word normal that made Duo grin at the odd colored clouds over them. He laughed a little and slunk lower against the wall.

"Normal," Duo snorted. "Do you even know what that means? I don't think I know anyone who's really normal."

"I wasn't raised to be normal," Heero said quietly.

"You and me both. Shit, we were out killing people when most kids were going through the dirty magazine stage of puberty. That's about as far from normal as it gets."

"I tried, though," said Heero. "After we all split up. It didn't work. I can't remember a time when I wasn't living one day to the next."

Duo gave a wistful smile. "All for the mission..."

"Mission, goal. There was always something to aim for. Then there wasn't anything. I don't see how normal people handle having nothing to aim for. How do they decide what to do? Where to go?"

"I figure they settle down," said Duo. "Raise some babies, or just get hitched and let life take them where it wants. But you know, I tried that. It gets boring. I tried to settle down, got a normal job - the most boring thing ever, I swear - and Hilde was looking for a business partner, so I had the companionship. It just didn't hold. I got restless. I don't know. Maybe it's because she started dating and wasn't around as much. But I figure that's where games like this come from. Not this one, _normal_ ones. I guess I could have tried to get into a hobby like that, maybe be a kid again and just get away from that boring every day is the same damn thing life. It's how I ended up here, anyway. Just looking for adventure where there wasn't any."

Heero was quiet for a while. He hadn't expected Duo to have been in the same situation he'd found himself in. Somehow it was even worse knowing a person as cheerful as Duo had reached the same depressing conclusion he had.

"People always say life is its own adventure," said Heero. "I tried to see it that way, but I didn't."

"I didn't, either," Duo muttered. He sighed and shrugged, doing his best to add some levity. "But you know, I was probably going about it all wrong. I mean, Hilde and I didn't exactly have a lot of chemistry. We almost never argued. She was like this perfect little housewife with the whole cooking and walking away when we disagreed thing. I'm pretty sure she did it because she knew I was spoiling for a fight half the time. But still, it was always quiet, even before she started going out more."

"You picked the wrong person, then."

"Yeah, well, it's not like I had a lot of options," Duo smirked. "You ran off and disappeared, no contact at all. Wufei didn't want me causing chaos in his orderly little Preventor group, and Quatre wasn't even available for calls. You should have stuck around longer. We could have made a go for it together. At least with each other to bicker with, we'd have never gotten bored."

"It never crossed my mind," Heero admitted. "It would have been strange. The furthest thing from normal. But not boring. You're never boring."

"The only time I'm boring is when I'm sleeping," Duo grinned. "And who's to say strange can't be normal, too? Sounds like fun to me, like college roommates. You'd complain about the mess, I'd poke back at you being an obsessive neat freak. And don't even get me started on the cooking. I can't even boil water for tea without forgetting it and burning the coating off the bottom of the pan. And you'd be wanting to eat healthy tasteless crap all the time. I'd end up getting fat off take out and deliveries until you'd have to roll me off the couch just to get me to exercise."

He glanced over to see his teasing rewarded by a faint smirk. He glanced away too soon, though. A few minutes of silence and he found his mood slumping again. As funny as the idea of actually living with Heero was, he knew they'd have ended up really fighting eventually. And then they wouldn't even be friends anymore. He'd seen it firsthand with Hilde. Friendship just wasn't enough. Hell, even Quatre and Trowa, who he'd been sure were more than just friends, hadn't lasted a year together.

"I've been watching everyone," Duo said softly, "since the war and all. They either start a family and raise up the next generation, or they devote themselves to working for the greater good. Everyone. Quatre was all set on rebuilding, Trowa had his circus doing free shows for the poor districts, cheering people up everywhere they went, Sally roped Wufei into working for the Preventors, and then there's Relena. She'll probably be fighting for one cause or another until she's too old to stand. And there I was just watching them from a distance, wondering what the hell I was supposed to do with myself."

"I couldn't see myself doing any of those things," said Heero. "Not even being a Preventor and following orders again. I considered it, but...I didn't want any part of it. I don't know what I want."

"I thought I didn't want to fight anymore," Duo sighed, "but I still ended up calling Wufei. I just thought that maybe if it were like the five of us together again, it wouldn't be so bad. There's something wrong with that. Some of my best memories took place during rebellions when we were all risking our lives. I wanted to get away from that, but in the end I tried to go crawling right back into it. Maybe that's the real reason Wufei turned me away. I just missed you guys. I didn't think I'd ever see _you_ again, and there wasn't a place for me with the others."

"That's why I stayed away," said Heero. "I didn't want to disturb one of those normal lives. We all worked too hard for the chance."

Duo flashed him a weak smile, wistful, but sort of nice because Heero had the same sort of look on his face. "Aren't we a pair. Who'd have thought we'd end up meeting in a role playing game. What a strange world."

"Yeah."

.-.

They went from being asleep in their adjoining rooms in the inn, to being wide awake in the portal room. It was disconcerting how that had happened, but none of them remembered having woken up and dressed. Duo didn't want to think that _The Game_ had done it for them, but it must have. They'd been removed from the realm as soon as their time was up and placed in the port just the way they'd left. The only difference was the item bag Wolfwood was still carrying.

Duo immediately had him put on his band so they could contact Quatre. He took the news that they'd failed the task rather well. Almost too well. It made Duo wonder if he'd expected them to fail from the very beginning. He probably had, considering the whole order from the Programmer and all.

"I'm glad you're all right," said Quatre. "You did the right thing in not attempting that task again. And your injuries are gone?"

"That's what the _'Light Trips'_ are for," said Duo. "We were in a hurry, so we forgot to contact you first."

"I understand. Are you ready to continue, then?"

Duo shared a look with Heero at the obvious impatience. He shook his head when Wolfwood looked curious. "In a minute. I want to ask Setsuna something."

He turned to their guide, who flashed him an amused and faintly curious smile. "Is there a way to stop playing, leave, and then come back and continue the game later?"

"It's possible," said Setsuna. "The pass to resume is limited to forty-eight of your real-time hours. You receive a pass for every four tasks you complete. You must complete another task before you will receive a pass to exit and resume."

Quatre spoke up quickly, his tone a little too worried. "Is there some reason you're in a hurry to exit?"

"No," said Duo. "No hurry. Just wanted to see if it was possible."

"I see," sighed Quatre. "Well, I suggest you save up any passes you receive until you have a good reason to exit. In fact, it might be best if you keep an extra pass in your inventory at all times, in case of emergency."

"Good plan," Duo said, sharing another look with Heero.

Wolfwood fidgeted like he wanted to ask what all the pointed looks were about. Duo waved a hand at him and he subsided, though he continued to frown in confusion.

"Well," Duo said brightly. "I guess we should get on with the next task."

They stepped toward the _Random_ portal, but Heero pulled them on to the door next to it. Duo grinned when he saw that it was the _Fantasy_ one he'd originally wanted. He winked at Wolfwood, who shrugged and made a mum gesture to show he wouldn't say a word. This was a good chance to see exactly how much Quatre knew about their movements when they didn't tell him anything. If they pushed him enough, maybe he'd explain why he was so eager to keep them from pausing and exiting the game.

**.-.  
****TBC**

_Notes:_ I feel bad about the people who have this fic on story alert. Your inboxes are going to get flooded with short chapter links. You might want to take the alert off and just check back in a few days. I really doubt my sudden inspiration to write will last very long, so you can always put the alert back on when I get distracted again.


	15. Group mission in a fantasy realm

**Note:** I have the _'Import Queue' _online so you can see the playable characters they've met so far. This will be updated with new characters, information, and star count to match the beginning of each new chapter. Copy and paste and remove spaces:

www . arigatomina . com / fanfiction / crossovers / thegame / importqueue . html

**The Game**

_Part 15: "Group mission in a fantasy realm"_

The first thing they noticed when they found themselves in the blurry pre-setting for the realm was that Wolfwood's weapon had changed shapes yet again. Now it was a long rifle. Setsuna explained why when she described their task.

"Your task is to trap and fire on the sorceress," she said. "For this task, there will be two teams. One team must find the underground entrance to the tower and use that to reach the 'gate release'. They will spring this to trap the sorceress so that the sniper may take his shot."

An image appeared before them depicting a sewer, a ladder, and then a switch in a tower next to a window that overlooked a dark city. The next image showed the place where the sorceress was to be trapped, an arch with two heavy gates that would drop down on each side. The third showed what looked like some sort of carousel on top of a building where the sniper was to take position.

The final image was their target, a black-haired woman who would have been beautiful if her face weren't discolored so that she looked like a corpse, and if she weren't wearing what looked like snail shells over her ears, feathered horns in the back of her hair and the top half of...either a sundial or a clock...on her shoulders with rectangular white curtains hanging off both sides. At least they wouldn't have to worry about accidentally firing on the wrong person.

"You require two additional players for this task. Your _'Import Queue'_."

As Wolfwood had learned, the three new characters they'd met in _Wanderweb_ had been added to the list. There was now a star on Hiei's profile, and Vash and the three unnamed characters from that violent 'second chance' task were available to be imported.

"Any ideas on who to pick?" asked Duo. "We should probably work on getting more people stars so we can bring them on a _'Light Trip'_ with us. Kurama would be good, since we already used Hiei."

Heero sent a look at Wolfwood. "What about those two you met in the first task?"

"I don't think they'd take to this sort of thing," Wolfwood winced. "I couldn't even get the first one's name, and Akira...he seemed sort of shady. Like he was just checking me out on the off chance he might want to kill me later..."

"Let's leave him out," Duo grinned. "There's bound to be enough characters wanting to kill us in this realm without us bringing in our own."

"We can't bring Vash," said Heero. "And those other two from Kurama's realm were his enemies. That leaves the ones we met in _Wanderweb_ and the three from the last task."

"And the girl from the first task," Duo reminded him.

"I don't plan to ever import _her_," said Heero.

"Good call," Duo laughed. "So that leaves Mitsukake - a healer's always useful - and the ones that beat the shit out of me, right? Tough choice. What about him? I don't remember seeing him at all."

He pointed at the blank profile of a lavender-haired teenager, who was listed right after the two who'd threatened them in the last realm.

Wolfwood frowned and shrugged. "That black-haired guy knocked him out right after we showed up. If we go on the assumption that he was trying to help whoever Duo replaced, then he'd be on our side. Assuming the person he replaced wasn't a bad guy. It's really hard to know what was going on in the last task."

"Let's give him a chance, then," said Duo. "We're sort of going in order, anyway. And it doesn't sound like we'll actually be fighting in this realm, so we don't need a healer. Plus, Mitsukake was already in _Wanderweb_ - we might not meet anyone new if we try to bring him on a _'Light Trip'_ since we _met _him on a _'Light Trip'_. No point getting him a star if he's already there."

"Are you decided, then?" asked Setsuna.

Heero nodded, and Duo turned back to her with a broad smile. He pointed to the two characters they'd chosen. "We'll take that one and that one."

"You have twenty minutes to complete the task," Setsuna said as a parting.

If they hadn't been split up immediately after her statement, Duo might have griped at her for the belated warning. He should have guessed there was a catch - again - to such a straightforward sounding task. They didn't even get a chance to ask who would be going in which group.

Wolfwood wasn't surprised to find himself, yet again, separated from his partners. It was becoming predictable. The rifle tipped him off, too, since he'd been assigned to the team as a sniper before they even started the game. What surprised him was that the second he 'arrived' in the realm, he found himself chasing after a stranger. Whoever he'd replaced in this realm must have been following the guy, because he 'landed' in midstep. He promptly stumbled and almost tripped over a corpse.

He was on the top of a building of some sort, with a podium to his left and the dead body of a middle-aged man at his feet, just a little ways to his right. A glance around showed that it was late at night, just like in the pictures Setsuna had shown them. And there appeared to be a celebration going on in the streets below the building. Faint music and cheers went together with the lights, gaudy colors mixing from spectators, dancers, and a strange looking vehicle with a corpse-like sorceress sitting on a throne. He could only guess he'd gotten the 'easy' part of the task. The view from above told him this was the direction he'd be in when he took his shot - after the others did their part and 'captured' the target.

The stranger he'd been following disappeared through a doorway on the other side of the roof. Wolfwood jolted into motion and hurried after him. If he were following the guy, he'd probably replaced a friend of his. Hopefully. He had no idea where the carrousel was supposed to be. If it wasn't somewhere on top of this building he'd have a heck of a time finding it and getting there in the next twenty minutes.

He entered a dim hallway lined with a red carpet, strange black symbols written around the doorway. And he got his first good look at the person he'd been chasing after. It was a young man, in his late teens, with short dark brown hair, black leather pants, and a black coat that was far too short on him and had a neck lined with white fuzz along the back. He also had wide blue eyes and a strange looking sword, which he'd drawn right as Wolfwood caught up to him. The weapon was some sort of mixed breed of sword and rifle, and the guy's eyes were wide because of the scene he'd ran onto. Wolfwood took one look and then his eyes were just as wide.

They were standing at the entrance to what might have been a bedroom if there had been a bed in sight. Iridescent curtains hid the walls from sight and a huge light protruded down from the ceiling, looking like a cross between an outrageously gaudy chandeliere and a skylight. Standing directly below that, in the center of the room, was Kurama. He was wearing pale jeans and a light teeshirt. Both were splotched with dark stains. In his right hand was a green vine studded with thorns. At his feet were clumps of something green and orange that might have been alive at one point.

"I should have known," Kurama glowered at Wolfwood.

"Who are _you_?" the guy with the gun-sword-weapon-thing asked. "Where's Rinoa?"

"Um, I can explain," Wolfwood said weakly.

The dark-haired teenager rounded on him in shock. He stared at him for a second, and then looked past him in confusion. Wolfwood assumed the guy was looking for whoever he had replaced in this realm. He gave a sick grin and gestured to his rifle.

"I'm sort of playing this game and, uh, everything will go back to normal after I shoot this sorceress woman..."

The teen blinked at him. "_What?_"

"Yeah," Wolfwood said, his grin twitching in place. Kurama looked ready to kill him. That probably wasn't good. "I'm a sniper, the name's Wolfwood. Nice to meet you. So, uh, you wouldn't happen to know the location of this carrousel I'm supposed to shoot from, would you?"

On the other side of the celebrating masses below, and beneath the street, Duo and Heero had found themselves standing in a well lit sewer that smelled cleaner than a bathhouse and was crawling - literally - with slinky black shadows. The lavender-haired teenager they'd imported was walking a few feet in front of them and serving as a human lantern to further light their way.

It turned out his name was Trunks and he was much more muscular in person, and when he was conscious, than he'd appeared when they met him in the last realm. He also had the ability to glow with a golden light, though he claimed it was a sign of his power increasing and wasn't supposed to be used to light up sewers. He didn't really remember them. He'd had a brief glimpse of his father turning into a slender teenager with long hair, Duo, and then he'd hit the dirt and woken up to remember nothing of the sort having happened in reality. It was all very strange. That was probably why he didn't push them very hard to explain exactly how, and why, he'd gone from sitting in front of a television, waiting for an android's public performance, to creeping his way along a monster infested sewer with two boys he didn't know.

Duo had tried to explain about the game, their task in the last realm, and how Trunks would go right back home as soon as they were done here. He got the impression the information didn't really keep, though. The guy was still sending dazed looks over his shoulders every few steps of the way. At least he'd explained who the bad guys were in the last realm. The flying pair were bad, after all, and according to Trunks they were androids and all of them were lucky to be alive after confronting them. Duo took that to mean they probably shouldn't try importing them into a task any time soon.

There wasn't much time to try convincing Trunks that he wasn't dreaming, and that what they were saying made sense if he really thought about it. They had a time limit and no watch to know whether or not they were falling behind. On top of that, they didn't know where they were going since the sewers had gates - some locked, some not - a walkway on either side of the fast moving water, and water wheels that for some reason they could climb up but couldn't climb down. Heero had gone on for minutes on the impossibility of that. They hit two dead ends and when they tried to go back, they couldn't. At all. They could get two feet from the walkway below, but an invisible wall sprang up when they tried to jump down. One way waterwheels in a maze, a time limit, and the slinky shadows on top of it all.

The shadows resolved themselves into monsters when they attacked. Like the waterwheels only going up, Duo couldn't explain how the creatures managed to get within striking distance before they saw them. Not even Heero could spot their approach, and that was saying something. They looked like solid oil slicks, flat and black and smelly, but they squirmed like worms when they weren't flopping over to try and slap them with their long fingered hands. They also did magic of some kind that, in Duo's opinion, belonged in a game for little girls and not one where sorceresses got trapped and shot with a long range rifle.

They'd just climbed another of those one-way wheels when one of the slippery things flopped over to heart them to death. Duo couldn't think of any other way to describe it. The thing flopped onto its hind...extensions, maybe, definitely not legs in the logical meaning of the word...pulsated, and then sent out a large pink heart, complete with sparkles. Duo grimaced as it struck Trunks and left him reeling. Like the waterwheels and the impossibly unseen approach of the monsters, they couldn't seem to dodge the...heart attacks. Luckily they didn't do much damage - they just left the recipient feeling dazed and sick to his stomach until the thing was killed. Duo took the honors of slicing it in half with his scythe.

For creatures that could approach from seemingly nowhere, they weren't very smart fighters. They only attacked in darting motions that were really easy to time. They'd flop over and swipe, or flop up and heart, and then they'd just squirm in place for a few seconds before trying again. It was almost like they were taking turns. He guessed that was sort of nice. As flexible as the things were, he didn't want them sticking around in a close contact fight. Ew. Just ew. They were rather easy to kill, too. One or two really hard hits - Trunks packed quite a punch - a good swipe of his scythe, or a blast from Heero's cannon, and the things stiffened and dissolved into death throes. The way they scrabbled at the ground looked painful. Duo hoped it was. Payback for making them fight something that specialized in heart attacks.

They reached another of those black gates that inexplicably cut the sewers into twenty-foot sections. The gate on their side of the water was locked. Again. And like the one-way wheels making it - for no rational reason - impossible to jump two feet, they couldn't blast or tear the thin gates open when they were locked.

"We're never getting out of here," Duo groaned. "Why can't we just cross the water? It's only like a foot deep!"

"I can't even fly across it," said Trunks. "The invisible wall stretches all the way up."

Duo grumbled as they turned and headed back the way they'd come. There was a water wheel back at the last gate. Not all of them could be ridden up, but maybe there was a ladder that would take them to the other side of the water or something.

"How much time do we have?" asked Duo.

"Eight minutes," Heero frowned. "We'd better start running."

"At least you have a stopwatch in your head," Duo sighed. He jogged alongside Heero, letting Trunks light the way ahead of them. That glowing thing really was convenient.

Trunks had gotten a little ahead of them. He turned back with wide eyes. "There's a wheel up there that goes _down_ instead of up!"

"No way," Duo scoffed. "Seriously?"

"Yeah. There's one that goes up, a path across the water, and then another that goes down on the other side."

"That's gotta be a good sign," Duo grinned and darted off ahead. "Pick it up a notch, Heero! You're slowing us down."

Heero sent a droll glare after him and ran a little faster.

Above the sewers, the streets, the celebration, and beneath the roof of a certain building with a corpse and a podium, Wolfwood was slunk down at the edge of a dark carrousel that, supposedly, would be rising through the roof in a few minutes so he'd have a perfect beam on the sorceress. Squall, the teenager with a penchant for furry black leather, had begrudgingly helped him find the thing. He'd finally accepted that Wolfwood was the only sniper around, and that he'd fail his own mission if he didn't help him shoot the woman. He'd accepted Kurama replacing this Rinoa person with far less protest. Wolfwood took that to mean he either liked the girl, or hated her. Now if Kurama would just stop glaring at him things would be going fine.

"I'm really sorry for the inconvenience," Wolfwood said, to the dangerous looking redhead. "Really."

"Inconvenience," Kurama repeated, in an icy tone. "You're sorry for the inconvenience. Do you have any idea what kind of battle we were in when Hiei disappeared? I saw it happen. He was gone for seconds. _Plural_. Sensui was already on him when he flashed back. What you're doing is more than an intrusive, annoying, _inconvenience_. That one moment of confusion could have gotten Hiei _killed_. That doesn't even take into account the fact that I went out for a simple walk and found myself _here_ instead, with two mansized lizards trying to _eat_ me."

"I really am sorry," Wolfwood said weakly. "We didn't even know Hiei was going to be imported for that last task. _The Game_ did it on its own that time."

"And this time?" Kurama asked, with a sweet smile.

Wolfwood shivered and hunched a little closer to his high powered rifle. "Duo picked you. I had nothing to do with it."

On the other side of the celebratory square, Duo sneezed and almost fell down a ladder. Trunks caught his arm before he slipped past more than two rungs.

"Be careful," Heero winced. He'd gotten a sharp kick to the head.

"Sorry," Duo called down to him. "Looks like this is the place, though. There's light up there. Besides Trunks."

At the top of the ladder they found a small room with a window that looked out over the square. That arch was in clear view, and there was a large switch on the wall beside the window. Duo moved over to the lever and let Heero take look out.

"Do we do this by sight or time?" asked Duo.

"Both," said Heero. "We have twenty seconds and that float she's riding on is almost under the arch."

Duo blinked in surprise and gave a soft mutter about cutting things close. Then Heero waved at him and he jerked the lever down. They could actually hear the grates dropping into place across the way. A moment later a crack sounded and everything faded away.

The moment they were reunited in the port, which was now sporting a dark green fire that matched Setsuna's hair perfectly, Wolfwood grimaced.

"It wasn't my fault," he said quickly. "I didn't know she was going to block the bullet. How could I have known?"

Duo twitched. "What! She _blocked_ it?"

"I saw it, too," Heero scowled. "Some sort of force field."

"Congratulations on completing the task," said Setsuna. The three players rounded on her, and she raised an eyebrow.

"We didn't fail?" asked Duo.

"Your task was to trap and fire upon the sorceress," Setsuna smiled. "You completed the task."

"Hn." Duo frowned and rocked back on his heels. "So she was supposed to block it. I guess that's fine, then. Jeeze, you two, scaring me like that."

If anything, Setsuna's smile widened. "You have acquired a second _'Light Trip.'_ Do you wish to use one now?"

"Not yet," waved Duo. "We have to figure out where we're going next."

Quatre spoke up at that, just as Duo had expected him to. It made him wonder if Quatre had said anything to Wolfwood while they were separated. They'd probably have to wait until they took another _'Light Trip'_ to find out, since the bands didn't work in those.

"What do you mean, decide?" asked Quatre. "You're still taking _Random_, aren't you?"

Score. Duo smirked at Heero. Quatre had no idea which portals they went through. As long as he assumed they were using _Random_, he wouldn't bother to make it a direct order. Good to know.

"Sure, we're going in _Random_ for the task," said Duo, "but we learned some things in that _Wanderweb_ place. Something about trading to get items during a task. We had a time limit for the last one, but the next one might let us do a little bit of exploring. We'll probably have to deviate from the tasks to find the things we're supposed to trade for."

Duo made it a point never to lie outright, so Heero took up from there.

"We should decide whether or not we want to look for these items before we go into the next realm," said Heero. "That way if we're separated again, we'll know if we're all aiming to complete the task immediately."

"It's best to focus on the given task," said Quatre. "Unless it's a very simple task, doing other things would risk a failure in that realm."

In other words, hurry it up. Duo shook his head at how predictably Quatre had responded. This time even Wolfwood took part in the looks they exchanged. Heero waved a hand toward the _Random_ portal. Time to move on and keep Quatre from suspecting anything. Duo shrugged and led the way.

"Off we go," Duo said, for Quatre's benefit. "Let's hope it's a quick task so we can get to the next realm as soon as possible."

"Yeah," said Wolfwood. "But hopefully it won't involve importing characters."

Duo frowned at that but didn't get a chance to ask why he'd say that. Trunks had been a little confused and distant, but he'd been useful. As far as he could see, the more characters they imported, the better. He kept that opinion to himself for the time being. They'd already locked hands and taken the step into _Random_.

**.-.  
****TBC**

**_Notes:_** Squall and the task are from FF8 and Trunks is from DBZ. My depiction of the monsters here is based on the ff8 games I've played. I always have my characters built up so it takes only one hit to kill "Creeps", and their 'heart' attack never does anything to my characters. I've never faced them when they were strong, so I can't write them as anything but annoying squiggly monsters that burst pink hearts at people. I have something self-serving and fun in store for the next part, so maybe it'll be one of the longer chapters.


	16. Strangers from an alternate universe

The _'Import Queue'_, copy and paste and remove spaces:

www . arigatomina . com / fanfiction /crossovers / thegame / importqueue15. html  
**  
The Game**

_Part 16: "Strangers from an alternate universe"_

Heero and Wolfwood knew something was wrong the moment they arrived in the new realm. They'd stepped through the portal with Duo between them, where he'd once again caught hands just in case. There was no sight of him now, just the blurry void they usually saw before the task was explained.

"What happened?" Heero asked sharply, his question directed at Setsuna.

"What's wrong?" asked Quatre.

"Duo's gone," said Wolfwood. "We went together. He couldn't have gotten separated from us!"

Heero didn't spare them a glance. He was glaring straight ahead at the blurry gray wall. "Setsuna!"

"The task," Setsuna said, as calmly as if they hadn't just lost one third of their team, "is to get Duo and Hiei out of the base they have been imprisoned in."

Wolfwood flinched. "Oh, shit. You didn't import Hiei-" The change in scenery caught him mid-sentence and he grimaced painfully. "Again," he finished in a weak whisper. "We are so dead..."

A sudden eruption of explosions and gunshots had him snapping his eyes open just as someone caught his arm and jerked him to the side. He hit his knees and found himself facing an ashen Quatre, who was staring at him in shock and disbelief. He mirrored the expression as soon as his brain started functioning again.

"Quatre?"

"You know me," the blonde boy gasped. He pulled Wolfwood to his feet and further to their right, where they were shielded by a group of young people. His voice almost cracked as he strove to be heard over the war going on around them. "What happened to Jin! What kind of mutant power let you-...a game? You came through a _game_? Who _are_ you?"

Wolfwood managed a stunned blink. "You don't know me? Is this from your past as a Gundam Pilot, or..."

A cool voice interrupted him. "I seriously doubt he's who you think he is. I've known Yusuke for years, and _that_ is not Yusuke. Considering this is _your_ game, one would think you'd be quicker to adapt to the unexpected."

Wolfwood couldn't help but marvel at how calm Kurama was considering their surroundings. The blonde boy, who was clearly Quatre, but wasn't, remained leaning over him. There was a tall man with white hair keeping watch behind them, something on his face saying he'd somehow heard every word they said, or was reading their minds. The 'Yusuke' person Kurama had waved at was a black-haired boy who appeared to be punching the air and sending shockwaves of white energy out through the air, where they collided with military trucks and soldiers alike. Another black-haired boy was standing a few yards to the right and appeared to be directing lightning bolts at his discretion. And a tall brown-haired boy was flying back and forth in front of the group, blocking bullets with a glowing green energy field. That didn't even touch on the rest of the yard, where an entire army of men in uniform were spread out and firing on the little group.

Wolfwood gave a slow blink. Then he shook his head fiercely and snapped himself out of the daze he'd fallen into. He shoved himself to his feet and checked his right arm. His weapon was in its original form, firmly attached around his forearm and ready for immediate use. Even if the blonde wasn't the Quatre he knew, he was still clearly one of the good guys. Bad guys wouldn't have bothered saving him from being shot up when he first arrived on the scene.

There were numerous gray buildings on the yard, but one was closer than the others. Wolfwood began firing on the soldiers closest to the door of it. He tilted his head and filled Kurama in at the same time.

"The game drug you guys into this," said Wolfwood, "I swear. You don't have to believe or forgive, but that's the way it is. The task is to break Duo and Hiei out of the base they've been imprisoned in. I'm guessing it's that door there. I'm not sure where Heero is in all this, but we need to get in there and-"

"That's enough information," Kurama cut him off, before sighing in exasperation. "If Hiei doesn't kill you people, I might..."

The blonde boy who wasn't Quatre turned a wide eyed look on Kurama. "You know him?"

"He's not our Kurama," said the white-haired man behind him. "You're not reading minds right now, so you wouldn't know. Just leave them. It would take too long to explain what they're doing here."

"It'll all go back to normal later," Wolfwood said quickly, sparing a glance at the blonde, who really was Quatre, even if he wasn't. "Don't worry so much!"

Kurama pulled a dark seed from his hair and lit up with a fiery red glow. Then he tossed it in the direction of the door. A moment later something huge and ungodly erupted from the tiny seed to feast on the screaming men nearby. It was wet and green and bigger than the building by the time Kurama ran for the now-cleared door. It also had fangs and, apparently, a very big appetite. Once it ran out of living victims, it extended tentacles and went squirming across the yard after anything else that moved. Wolfwood was quick to notice that the group of strangers around Quatre were careful not to move. Even the green-glowing flying guy dropped to a standstill. He spared them one weak, apologetic, grin, and then took off for the door Kurama had disappeared into.

Hopefully the thing wouldn't decide to eat them when it finished with the army. But if it did, they had Setsuna's word that they wouldn't remember their untimely and exceedingly painful - and _wrong_, for that realm - deaths. Somehow he didn't think that would make the real Quatre feel any better about it. He really hoped it didn't eat them.

Duo had come to the conclusion that he hadn't given Wolfwood enough credit for that second task. Being put into the role of rescuee sucked. Being put into it with someone who was, but wasn't, his old roommate, sucked even worse. Finding out their captors were a military group that went by the name of OZ just made things so much worse. He was convinced his brain had imploded or begun devouring itself in an attempt to escape having to make sense of the situation.

He'd found himself in a cell. A very familiar looking cell. Aside from the fact that there was a little light in the room, it was identical to the one he'd been held in the first time he was captured by a military group calling itself OZ. The only difference was this time he was in a cell with Hilde. That was a pretty big difference. She was a mutant, too, which was an even bigger difference. And according to her, he could turn invisible and teleport himself out of the cell - if he didn't mind the cell being blown up with them in it the second he tried.

"I don't think I'm who you think I am," Duo mumbled, from where he'd backed himself into a corner away from the look-alike who said things that hurt his brain. "We've never lived together, right? So you're not the Hilde I know, either. Wow. I bet this is what Wolfwood felt like in that desert realm, too. He really _has_ been getting the bum rush. At least no one's trying to eat me..."

"What are you babbling about?" Hilde scowled. "The guards are going to be rushing in here any minute. You _said _you were going to take point by the door."

She certainly sounded the same, and aside from her hands being bound with big metal...mittens...she looked the same. Slender, a little shorter than him, with short dark hair that tended to flash dark blue in the light, same colored eyes, and a stubborn streak that rivaled his own. The scowls were identical, too.

"_I_ said that...?" asked Duo.

"_Yes_."

"Must have been the other me..."

For a second, Duo wondered if maybe she_ was _his Hilde. She growled and scrunched up her face, and he was pretty sure if they hadn't been locked in a cell together, she would have turned on her heel and left him and the argument behind until she cooled off. Then her scowl turned into an actual glare and she stalked over to shove him away from the door with her bound hands.

"Oh, you," she gritted out, growling something that might have been a curse word. "Get out of the way! I don't know how you managed to stay alive so long. You're useless in a crisis."

"Hey," Duo frowned, "I resent that! It's not my fault the game stuck me in here without a weapon."

"If those guards try using you as a hostage, I'm gonna let them kill you."

Then again, maybe she_ was _Hilde. Duo scowled and took point across from the girl. Suddenly he was very glad he'd never gone on missions with Hilde, his Hilde, or any Hilde for that matter. The only solo mission she'd ever gone on had ended with her nearly getting killed for a disc of information that Heero probably could have hacked on his own if she'd simply contacted them and told them what was going on. This Hilde had more in common with his than not, the mutant thing notwithstanding. They were both even more headstrong and risk-taking than he was. That was just scary.

"Look," Duo muttered. "I don't care if you're a game character or not. If guards rush in here trying to kill us, you better not get yourself shot. You might not keep the memory of it when this realm is reset, but I will. I can use an elixer when this is over, but I don't have any on me if you pull something incredibly stupid."

"Have you gone completely crazy?" the girl demanded.

"Yeah, sure," Duo shrugged, "but I'm still a former Gundam Pilot."

"A _what_?"

Duo heaved a long sigh. "Nevermind..."

If the other two were mentally lost, Heero was literally lost. He found himself sneaking through a base that could have been modeled after any number of ones he'd gone through in the past. He'd had no idea where Duo and Hiei were supposed to be in the base, so he did the normal thing. He found a computer terminal and tapped into their system. That was where things turned weird. He'd been breaking security systems for years and while he did cover his tracks, he could recognize his own markers anywhere. As far as he could tell, he'd already broken this system once. Recently. Like an hour ago at most. He'd even gone so far as to shut down the auto-destruct on one cell in particular. So...he'd already found out where Duo was before he even entered the realm. Except he obviously hadn't.

He immediately thought about the invisible walls and one-way water wheels in the last realm. Reality check. Reality and logic was whatever the game made it out to be in each realm. So if it appeared he had already broken this system and made plans to rescue Duo, then he had. It didn't have to make sense. At least it saved him a few minutes of work. His weapon saved him a few minutes more. Apparently when he'd planned to infiltrate the complex, he hadn't accounted for having a miniature beam cannon available. It made him wonder how he'd expected to get through the ridiculously thick doors sealing Duo's cell.

He also didn't seem to have taken Hiei's captivity into account in his plans. Maybe he'd known Kurama could get there faster than he could. All it took was a glance at the security cameras going offline all over the base to know the redhead could locate his friend without bothering with computers. It was probably a demon game character thing. He intercepted Kurama halfway between Hiei and Duo's cells. As far as he could tell, Kurama was more adept at this particular task than he was. The redhead had Hiei in tow, keeping a hold on his arm so he couldn't attack Heero on sight, and Wolfwood was right behind them. That was almost embarrassing.

"I've located Duo," said Heero. "The task is to get them both out. Outside, most likely."

"I'll back you up," said Wolfwood.

He didn't mention Kurama and Hiei. They would probably wait outside for them. From what he'd seen, Kurama didn't need backup. At least he wasn't furious anymore. That cold anger of his had broken the moment he burst into the cell where Hiei was being held. Wolfwood still didn't know why Kurama had found Hiei's predicament so amusing. His friend had been trussed up against the wall with a little blue-haired teenager holding an icy sword to his throat. Kurama had taken one look and started laughing. He'd then apologized to the blue-haired guy, calling him Touya like they knew each other. And he'd only freed Hiei on his promise that he wouldn't gut or flashfry the three of them before they finished the task. As suddenly amusing as Kurama found the realm, he still didn't want to be stuck there if Hiei killed the players.

Wolfwood was naturally surprised when the pair followed him and Heero instead of exiting the building without them. Kurama was still sporting a glitter in his eyes and a faint smirk, and Hiei was glowering and growling under his breath - but not making any attempt to free his arm from the tight hold Kurama had on it. Wolfwood didn't know which of them was more intimidating. He was leaning toward the smirking redhead. Scary and worrisome smiles seemed to be Kurama's expertise. Hiei, at least, was open about his intentions.

Heero led them straight to Duo's cell and blasted open the door. He then stopped midstep. Wolfwood wondered if they had invisible walls in this realm, too.

Heero hadn't know what to expect. If there was an auto-destruct on Duo's cell, the guards would likely try to kill him in the event of an escape attempt. They should have stormed the cell, either to relocate the prisoner, or to kill him before his rescuers could arrive. One look at the four bodies lying on the floor of the cell told him that the guards had tried the relocating idea. The discarded weapons were dart guns rather than rifles. It wasn't the bodies that made Heero stop in his tracks, an inch inside the doorway. Duo knew enough hand to hand combat to take down a lot more than four soldiers armed with nothing but dart guns. No, he wasn't shocked to find that Duo had held his own. What shocked him was Duo's current position. Duo was lying on his back in the center of the cell. A very familiar dark-haired girl was straddling his waist and threatening to knock him over the head with her bound fists.

"Duo?"

Duo had thrown his arms up to protect his head the moment Hilde first tackled him. Now he peeked around his arm and blushed dark red at the sight of Heero in the doorway.

"It's not what it looks like!" Duo blurted. Hilde glanced over her shoulder suspiciously, and he took the chance to roll out from under her. "Well, okay, it _is_ what it looks like, but it's not what you're _thinking._ Close your mouth, Wolfwood. You say one word and I'm siccing her on you next."

The furious girl, who was definitely not Hilde, turned sharply to glare at him again. "Don't talk about me like that. You lying chauvenist pig! If you knew how to fight like that, why the hell didn't you do it the last time those guys came in here? I knew I shouldn't have trusted you from the start."

Heero blinked at the idea of Duo being called a liar. "Hilde...?"

"How do you know my name?" the girl scowled. "Are you a telepath?"

Duo sighed in exasperation. "I keep telling you, we're not mutants. We're _players_. In a game. And I'm not the one who was in this cell with you earlier, so I have no idea what you're talking about. Anyway, I'm ready to go now, Heero. It was, um, nice meeting you - er - Hilde. Yeah. Let's go, Heero. Quickly, please."

He scrambled to his feet and pushed Heero back out of the cell. He barely spared a relieved look at Kurama and Hiei, who fell into step right behind Wolfwood.

"What did you _do_ to that girl?" asked Wolfwood.

"Nothing!" Duo scowled. "I just pushed her out of the way of a dart and took out the guards. Then she went off on me, like I'm not supposed to know how to defend myself or something. I think she has a real women power issue..."

He sent a disgruntled look at Heero, "She's definitely not the Hilde I know. I wouldn't have survived one week living with _that_ girl."

He turned on Wolfwood next. "I completely get how you felt now, having someone think you're someone else. This whole doppleganger thing is dangerous..."

They left through the same doors Kurama and Wolfwood had entered earlier. And they had one brief glimpse of the yard. Five familiar faces were standing over the mushy remains of a green...monster plant thing. Duo gaped at the scene and heard Kurama mutter something about the wasteful killing of imported Makai pets and an endangered species. Then they were back in the port, now lit with orange, and Quatre was speaking from the blue wristband.

"What happened?" asked Quatre. "I lost all contact with you. I couldn't even map your location."

"I'm still not sure," Duo muttered, still stunned by the weird scene they'd glimpsed. "That was one messed up place..."

"The task was simple to complete," said Heero. "We broke Duo and Hiei out of the military base. _The Game_ imported Kurama to help with the task."

"There was a Hilde in the cell with me," Duo put in. "Not the real Hilde, but it looked just like her, and she acted really similar at first. Before she went nuts on me..."

"You were there, too," said Wolfwood. This got startled looks from Duo and Heero. "There was someone who looked just like you, Quatre. Same name and everything. Kurama saw two people he recognized, too, but they weren't the people he knew."

He turned to Setsuna, who was watching silently from amid her pillar of flames. "Would any of those people be in our _'Import Queue'_?"

Setsuna didn't bother to answer. The moment Wolfwood asked, the queue appeared in front of them. Sure enough, there were a handful of extra profiles at the bottom. Some of them were shadowed strangely, but the familiar faces caused both Duo and Heero to flinch in surprise.

"That's definitely you, Quatre," Duo said quietly. "There's Trowa and Wufei, too, and Hilde and even Zechs. I don't know the other two."

"Kurama seemed to recognize those two," nodded Wolfwood. "But they weren't from his realm. That white-haired guy heard me talking to Quatre - the fake one - and he acted like he could read my mind or something. Some of them were flying and doing weird stuff, too."

"You said there was a base involved in the task," said Quatre. "Are you certain it wasn't some version of our past?"

"Not with the mutant power thing," Duo frowned. "Hilde said it was an OZ base, but not the OZ we knew. It was similar, but definitely not the same."

"I see..."

There was something strange in Quatre's voice that made Duo sigh in frustration. He decided to take the direct approach this time.

"Do you know something, Quatre?"

"I do," Quatre said, immediately, surprising them with his straightforward response. "You should have gained a resume by now. Use it to exit the game. There's something I need to talk to you about. Without _The Game_ listening in."

**.-.  
****TBC**

**_Notes:_** The realm in this chapter comes from Part 38 of my GW-YYH fanfic, Gmen. I needed something to throw the players for a loop and get Quatre talking. It was self-serving and contrived, but sort of fun screwing with my own plot. ;p


	17. Leaving the game

_Notes:_ This part is almost entirely dialogue.

**The Game**

_Part 17: "Leaving the game"_

They might have expected the real world to feel different after being in the game so long. It came as a dull surprise that the satellite seemed stale compared to the realms they'd gone through. The air itself was circulated and filtered continually, and they couldn't help but smell it. The stark, lifeless interior of the satellite appeared too bland, almost as if the game were reality and this were the sterile simulation. The very idea had Duo's nerves on end. How difficult would it be for the game to fashion a copy of their own realm, limited to the satellite as it was, and trick them into thinking they were unobserved?

He didn't want to dwell on that. If he started thinking of the game that way, he'd switch into paranoid mode and that was no way to act when Quatre was finally going to share some of his secrets with them. Despite how quickly they'd exited the game, Quatre didn't seem in a hurry to fill them in. Duo wasn't going to do anything that might make him change his mind.

They'd left the game the same way they'd entered, one moment they were in front of Setsuna and the next they were looking down at a view of her on the computer in front of each of them. Quatre had turned from the computer behind them and invited them to one of the back halls for a quick medical test. They hadn't thought to protest, but Duo had wondered at how quiet the amphitheater was when they arrived. The other two teams they'd gone in with were gone, along with the two interfaces who'd been assigned to them. Heero looked like he wanted to say something about their absence but chose to wait. It was a little harder for Duo to exhibit the same patience. He'd never been good at holding in curiosity, especially about matters that might affect him and his friends.

The exams were quick, but efficient. Although Duo had never studied medical equipment, he was pretty sure one of the tests included a scan to monitor his brain activity. It left him biting his lip to keep from snickering. If there was some radiation involved in 'entering' the game, they'd have infected everyone - including the racoon-eyed man running the tests. The idea of being tested for insanity, radiation-induced or not, left him wanting to laugh. If they were worried about that, they should have run the test before they let him in. He'd always been told he was a little insane.

When he was escorted down one of those back halls and into a small office, Heero was waiting for him. Duo flashed him a teasing grin and took the seat beside him. The office was little more than a rectangular white room, half filled by a large metal desk with one chair behind and two in front. Nothing adorned the walls and Duo was convinced Quatre hadn't been using it for long. Compared to the office building he'd found Quatre in the last time he'd visited a Winner site, this place was far too stark and ugly. Quatre fancied comfortable surroundings that put the mind at ease. This office made Duo want to squirm in his chair. It matched Heero better than it did Quatre.

"How did the tests go?" asked Duo. "The guy running mine wouldn't say a word about the results."

"That means he didn't find anything," Heero shrugged. "I don't know what they were looking for, but we're in the same condition now as we were when we first entered. The technician running mine said it was routine. They've never found any anomalies, which is strange in itself. So they keep checking everyone who comes out of the game."

"Hm, so you got the talkative guy. Not sure how that happened."

Heero didn't say anything, so Duo looked over the room again. There was no more to see this time than there had been a moment ago. He shifted in his chair again. It was quite uncomfortable, plastic, maybe, but hard and cold.

"Only two chairs," Duo commented. "You think Quatre's talking to Wolfwood separately?"

"No reason he would," said Heero.

Duo's eyes widened and he bit his lip to keep from grinning. Even after a year, he could hear the suspicious vehement _'Yes!' _in Heero's bored monotone response. Did Heero think the room was bugged? Maybe Duo wasn't the only one prone to paranoia after being in the game so long. They'd agreed Quatre was hiding something, but that still didn't explain how completely Heero had gone into defensive stoic mode. He might as well have been preparing himself to be questioned by the enemy. If Duo hadn't been feeling rather paranoid himself, he might have laughed at how cute it was.

The door opened and Quatre took a seat in the stiff chair across the table from them. Duo looked over his serious expression and decided to stick with the direct approach.

"Where's Wolfwood?" asked Duo.

Quatre winced and glanced at the door. Guilt flashed over his face for a long moment as the silence stretched between them. Then he set a small ring on the table. Duo flinched at the sight of it.

He'd first noticed the ring when he was getting prepped for the examination. The racoon-eyed man had asked him to leave his jacket and any metallic objects he might have. Duo had wondered about the red bracelet he'd worn into the game and had been shocked to find that it was no longer on his wrist. He'd been wearing it so long that he'd almost forgotten it was there. The wristband had been replaced by a small ring on his middle finger. It had a thin band and a round crest on the front, in some sort of pale white material. Symbols flashed over the top of it, changing colors like the fire in the portal had done, and the technician had said their rings would flash white when their time was almost up. He'd also warned Duo not to take the ring off if he planned to resume his game before the time was up.

"What happened!" Duo asked sharply. "Did something-"

"He's fine," Quatre said quickly. "Fine. He just won't be going back into the game."

"You planned on that," said Heero, "when you told us to exit."

Quatre nodded. "Wolfwood was put with the two of you for a reason. He wanted to try the game, and I agreed to let him participate in the tests, but I wouldn't have trusted him with any other team. He's been very useful. But...it's too dangerous for him to continue playing. That last realm proves it. We've only had one other team go to a realm like that. They weren't as dedicated to completing the task as you were. They got personally involved. And the results..."

Quatre was staring at the ring with a cloudy expression. Duo shook his head in confusion. He was filled with an urge to protest. Loudly. He shot a grateful look when Heero did it for him, in a much calmer tone than he could have managed.

"What does that have to do with Wolfwood?" asked Heero.

"I let him go in with you for two reasons," Quatre said, in an almost casual tone. He didn't look up, though. "One, because I knew the two of you would act with caution. Two, because it was the best way to show you what the game really is. Wolfwood is a game character. He doesn't need the ring to go into the game because he came from the game. He was drawn out by a former player three months ago."

Duo's mouth opened, but no sound came out.

"His 'accident'," said Heero.

Quatre looked up and gave a slow nod. He didn't seem surprised by how sharp Heero's tone was, or how easily he took the revelation.

"How?"

"It was a mistake," said Quatre. "Sometimes when you complete a task, your import characters are drawn into the portal with you. If you use a resume with active characters, they are taken out with you. We didn't know there was a time limit. Import characters aren't given rings to show when the resume is nearing its limit. We didn't send him back in time."

"So he lost his memory?" Duo stared. "The game should have taken him back when the limit was up. Just disappeared like we did at the end of the _'Light Trip.'_ But...he couldn't have even come out because..."

"They're not real?" Quatre finished softly. "That's what we thought at first. You suspected it, didn't you, Heero. The more realms you visit, the more..._people_...you talk to... Even without that last realm, you would have noticed eventually. As far as we can tell, every one of those realms is as real as our own world. And some of them are more than that. The same people may exist in multiple realms. They're the same, but they aren't. There's a status that must be maintained in each. When you went into that last realm, you replaced other versions of yourselves. The game won't allow two of the same person to exist in a realm, it is...programmed...to prevent that. To maintain the balance. When we took Wolfwood out, we affected that balance."

"Did you try to send him back?" asked Heero.

Duo flinched at that. "How? We _know_ him. We can't just go up to him and tell him, oh, by the way, you're a game character so we're gonna send you back now." He shot a disbelieving look at Quatre. "You should have _told_ him. If he lost his memory when the limit was up, you must have given him a new one. That story about an 'accident'. Why would you _do_ that?"

Quatre didn't get defensive the way Duo had expected him to. Instead, he looked sad, like he was disappointed that Duo didn't have more sympathy. Sympathy for what?

"He wanted out," said Quatre. "When the team first went into his realm and later imported him into another task, he was intrigued by the game. Other import characters had reacted so annoyed that we were surprised to find one so willing to be imported for multiple tasks. One of the players had replaced someone important to him in that first task. She got personally involved. So when she imported him later and learned that he'd died in his world, she quit the game.

"We only had two teams back then. The other team hadn't visited that realm. When they did, at the original task, they intentionally tried to bring him out. I - we didn't know it was _possible_. We still don't know how they learned the game would let them bring characters out. We were monitoring both teams, but there are some realms we can't follow them into. We had no idea what they were planning. Then...then, we were struck by the chance to study him. He had no memory of the first team, but he was just as eager to learn about the game as he had been before. Once I had a chance to meet him myself..."

He shook his head, still staring intently at Duo, as if willing him to understand. "We didn't know he'd lose his memory. That wasn't intentional at all. But I can't in good conscience send him back to his world knowing he's going to die in a matter of months. I didn't even want him going back in as a player, but...his curiosity about the game hasn't changed. When I learned that the two of you were here, and that you'd made friends with him on your own, I decided to give him what he wanted. For a while. The more realms you visit, the more dangerous things will become. If you don't go back into his realm willingly, the game will attempt to incorporate him another way. To maintain the balance. I won't risk that."

"Explain the reasons," said Heero. "The two reasons our presence here made you decide to let him go back in. The first is the realm we failed. The second doesn't hold. If we would have discovered the 'characters' were real eventually, there was no need to use Wolfwood."

"The realm we failed?" asked Duo, frowning at Heero. "That guy. He thought he recognized Wolfwood the way Hilde thought she knew me. But we weren't in any danger in that realm, we just couldn't figure out the task."

"I believe that realm was fixed," said Quatre. "Set up from the start so that you would fail. That was Wolfwood's original world. I didn't recognize it immediately, but it's the only realm where you were given an option to replace one of the players with an import character."

Duo shook his head in confusion. "Why would it do that? If it wanted us to screw up so it could take Wolfwood back, why would it give us a chance to trade him out for someone else before we started?"

"Because the offer _was_ given before we started," Heero said slowly. "We couldn't have known what would happen, but by giving us an out, it was giving us at least some slight chance of avoiding the planned failure."

He sent a look at Quatre. "Have the other teams had similar problems with that realm?"

"They can't go there at all," said Quatre. "We haven't seen that realm since Wolfwood was drawn out. It's the _Gunslinger_ realm. Everyone else who has started a fresh game has gotten only five realms available to them. It wasn't even available through _Random_. I had hoped as long as you didn't enter the realm itself, you wouldn't be drawn there."

"_Gunslinger_," Duo murmured. "That's the realm Wolfwood wanted when we first went in. If we'd gone there from the start..."

"Some part of him remembers," said Heero. "Like his skill with firearms."

"Yes," admitted Quatre. "And if he's imported back into the game, he'll take his place in his own world without any memory of having left. _The Game_ doesn't just connect worlds, it twists time to suit its purposes. Anyone incorporated into the game is indistinguishable from the other characters. The same goes for players..."

"Setsuna said that," Duo remembered, "when we were talking about retrying that realm. She said a second failure would end with one of us being incorporated. Lost. But if Wolfwood was a character to begin with, it would have been putting him back into the world he was born in."

"The threat isn't limited to characters," said Quatre. "Players who die, or who fail a realm on two attempts are incorporated. And there's no way to know which realm they are taken into..."

Quatre's voice had grown hushed. He sent a look over Duo and Heero, one that was heated with a desperate gleam in his eyes, but was somehow subdued at the same time, a shadow of the passion he'd shown as a pilot.

"After the last tests failed, I thought using men with a military backgrounds would be better. They have more discipline. But the two of you have been approaching this like...a game. You're taking your time. And yet you've still gotten further than any of the teams we've sent. I can't keep endangering Wolfwood, but...I need your help. Trowa was taken into the game. If we can find him, we can bring him back out."

Duo's eyes widened. "Quatre...how long...?"

Quatre took a deep breath and stared him in the eye. "It's been almost five months. I thought I could play the game myself to find him, but my family found out. They don't understand what the game is. No...no, it's not that they don't understand. They don't _care_ what it is. If I go in and fail, if something happens, they'll shut the entire project down. One of my brother-in laws found the participants for the first try. After that... I haven't spoken with them since the second team brought Wolfwood out. I'm doing this entirely by myself. I have the resources - it shouldn't be this hard...! There must be a way to find someone in the game. We tested the teams so carefully and still, eight of them have dropped out. None of them have learned nearly as much as you have. We didn't even know they _had_ items in the game, let alone ones to heal people."

Heero had closed his expression off to the point where Duo couldn't read it anymore. Not that he was trying. Duo felt that he should have known. He _had_ known. He'd thought earlier that if Quatre got involved in a project this big, he would have had Trowa involved as well. And he'd been so sure the two had resolved their differences after the rebellion. They should have been together. The changes in Quatre's personality suddenly made sense. He sounded so frustrated, angry even. At the same time he looked like he would have liked a shoulder to cry on, but wouldn't let himself do it. Because the moment he broke down, he'd give up hope and that was something Quatre would never do.

"You should have contacted us immediately," said Heero.

He was angry. Duo turned in his chair to look at Heero's expression. Clear anger, written in the way his dark blue eyes were narrowed and sharp, cutting Quatre to the quick. Duo understood why Heero would be annoyed, but not as angry as that. They'd both been bothered by Quatre's strange behavior, by the fact that he was keeping secrets, and...they'd been bothered by the fact that Quatre hadn't intended any of them to find out what he was doing. But it was natural. Duo knew Heero would have done the same thing if he'd been in Quatre's position. Having lost one comrade, he'd never risk losing another. Why was Heero so angry to find that Quatre had done just what he would have done?

"At the very least, you should have explained before we entered the game," glared Heero.

Quatre didn't even attempt to argue with that. He dropped his eyes and toyed with Wolfwood's ring. "I didn't think you would believe me if I had explained that the game connects unknown worlds and has the capability of incorporating people into itself. I didn't want to risk losing anyone else, but...you came here on your own. I couldn't _not_ take advantage of the chance that you might succeed."

Suddenly, Quatre looked far too young to have fought in a war, killed people, and lost loved ones. Duo couldn't stand to see him like that. It was too familiar. Like the last time Trowa had been lost...and found, with no memory of any of them. Too familiar. Because this was the same, wasn't it?

"That realm we just went to," said Duo, tentatively. "There was a Trowa there. But they had powers and a history in that world. If we find him, he won't remember anything about us, will he."

"I don't know," Quatre admitted, without looking up. "He belongs _here_. But...if we find him and know that he's safe and happy, that would be enough. There are so many dangerous realms he could have been taken into..."

"But we won't know if it's _him_," said Duo. "That's what I meant. If the same people are in different realms - multiple versions of the same people - we won't know which one is our Trowa. He can't tell us if he doesn't remember."

"There were shadowed profiles in the last realm," said Heero. He didn't lose his glare, but it softened, just a bit, when Duo looked at him. "The only ones that weren't shadowed were Hilde, Wufei, Zechs, and the blue-haired one. _The Game_ may register only one importable version of each person. A former player should stand as the only 'usable' version of that person. _The Game_ offered a slight chance to get around losing Wolfwood in that realm - possibly a way to avoid failing at all. There's reason to suspect it would give a similar slim but real chance to take back a lost player."

Duo straightened slowly. "So if we can find a Trowa whose profile isn't shadowed, we'd have the right one!"

"Most likely," said Heero.

Heero turned his glare back to Quatre, who was still staring at his hands. He was furious that Quatre hadn't told them sooner - preferably before they started playing. But more than that, he felt threatened. _The Game_ was impossible and real at the same time. And the ramifications of it were astounding. As a weapon. He'd seen some of the 'powers' in those realms during their time in _Wanderweb_'s library. There were creatures and people with inhuman abilities. Being able to bring them into the real world with blank memories... Anyone who got control of the game could take them and mold them any way he wanted. _The Game_ would be a horrible source of ready, living, weapons. And somehow it had fallen into Quatre's hands?

"Where did the game come from?" demanded Heero. "Why hasn't a military faction used it, yet?"

Quatre flinched and raised wide eyes to him. "I would never allow that! _Never._ I've already arranged for my copy of it to be disabled and destroyed should anything happen to me. As far as I know, mine is the only copy. It will stay that way."

"Where?" Heero pressed.

Quatre sighed and dropped his eyes once more. "I don't know where, Heero. I never had a chance to ask. Trowa found it. Or maybe _it_ found _him_..."

There it was again. Duo almost shivered at the idea of _The Game_ and the unknown entity behind it. He was suddenly sure that Quatre was right about there being only one copy. Only one copy in _their_ world, anyway.

"Hey, Quatre?" Duo said, almost whisper soft.

Quatre looked up, surprised by the soft tone. "Yes?"

"Do the teams have to use three people?"

Quatre's pale blue-green eyes widened, and Duo flashed him one of his classic grins.

"I can't speak for Heero," Duo beamed, "but I'm not about to quit now. If it's too dangerous for Wolfwood to keep playing, then that's just the way it is. I'd never leave a friend trapped in some game, especially when we don't know who or _what_ is behind the thing. You know me. I'm not one for giving up when a friend's in trouble."

Heero sighed. He'd hoped Duo would be a little more resentful at having been left in the dark so long. He had no intention of letting him go back into the game alone, but he wasn't about to be as affable about helping Quatre. Heero stood up and waved at the ring on the table.

"That's the blue band," said Heero. "It stays off. We'll continue playing, but we aren't taking you along for the ride. You can track the realms we visit with the red bands. When we learn something, we'll activate the band and tell you. Until then, you can monitor your other teams and wait."

Duo winced at Heero's harsh tone. Quatre looked stricken for a moment, before his expression settled into guilt and gratitude. He offered the ring to Duo without a word.

"Don't worry so much," Duo smiled. "I'll keep you updated. We'll definitely find Trowa. It's like you said, right? If anyone can do it, it's the two of us."

**.-.  
****TBC**

**_Notes:_** Whoot! Next up we have a mini-arc. I expect five parts. Hopefully some of the chapters will be rather long. And no, we haven't seen the last of Wolfwood. I wouldn't do that. :)


	18. Into a realm of magic

**Notes:** Beginning a mini-arc now. There should be some actual shonen ai content in the next five parts. About time, really. No smut, but at least we're making progress. I forget how different it is doing a get-together fic instead of a quick and hot jump-together fic. o.o;

The 'Import Queue' - copy and paste and remove spaces:

www . arigatomina . com / fanfiction / crossovers / thegame / importqueue18 . html

**The Game**

_Part 18: "Into a realm of magic"_

It was strange entering the port without Wolfwood. They hadn't seen him before they left because it would have been too awkward. Duo wasn't sure he could have talked to him without looking at him differently. It would take a little more time for things to settle in. Quatre had promised to take care of that. Duo was sure he'd have an easy time of it. The way Quatre had been rushing them all along, Wolfwood probably wouldn't be surprised to learn that they'd gone right back in after only spending a few hours outside. What he worried about was how Wolfwood felt having been kicked off the team. He hadn't thought to ask Quatre what reasons he'd given Wolfwood for removing him. Maybe he hadn't minded that much. Wolfwood had been getting the worst positions in most of the tasks they'd gone through, after all.

Their weapons were in place once they reentered the game, making them wonder what had happened to Wolfwood's cannon. Did it get put into some sort of inventory on the off chance he came back into the game with another team of players? Would he resume his 'status' if he came back in with a fresh team? Not that he ever would, but _The Game_ had no way of knowing that, right? The item bag Wolfwood had been carrying was sitting on the floor when they arrived in the port. At least that was something. They wouldn't have to wait until they earned more credit and used another _'Light Trip'_ to get another set of elixirs.

If being in the game without Wolfwood was strange, being there without Quatre to monitor and direct them was even stranger. They could do whatever they chose to do. Heero seemed to have already decided what he wanted to do because the first thing he did was step up to Setsuna and ask for the _'Import Queue.'_ Duo was surprised to see that it had changed quite a bit from the last time they'd used it.

The profiles from the last realm that had been shadowed were gone entirely now. Hilde, Wufei, Zechs, and the blue-haired Touya were available, but the others were no longer listed at all. And three of the older profiles were now shadowed - unavailable, Duo took it.

"They're the ones from _Wanderweb_," said Duo. He frowned at Setsuna. "Did we do something wrong? So that we can't use them anymore?"

"Those import characters are already in use," Setsuna explained. "While it is rare, players do occasionally cross paths and happen upon the same realms. This is most common with the more popular _'Light Trip'_ realms such as _Wanderweb_ and _Risk_."

"Oh," Duo blinked.

It was easy to forget there were other teams playing the game. He wondered what would happen if two teams tried to import the same characters at the same time. Would the fastest team get them? Or would they both be denied? And what happened if two teams wanted to go to the same _'Light Trip'_ destination? Would the realm be unavailable to the second team until the first was finished?

"Which realm do you want to go to?" Heero asked Duo. "_Magic_ or _Random_? We've done at least one of each of the others."

"We should try that _Risk_ place eventually, too." Duo frowned. "If it's potentially dangerous, it'd be more like a task than a rest stop. But I want one of those feathers before we go somewhere that could get us killed. We don't have anything to trade right now except elixirs and if anyone can buy those in _Wanderweb_, they're probably not the sort of things people are looking to trade for."

"We need information, also," said Heero. "Going to random realms hoping to find one with the information we need won't get us far. _Risk_ deals in trade. So if we have something valuable enough, there might be someone willing to trade exactly the information we're looking for."

Duo grinned at the way Heero's mind was working through the problem - their mission. At the rate Heero was figuring things out, his own familiarity with games wouldn't put him at an advantage over his partner for much longer. It almost made him proud, in a fond, playful sort of way.

"_Magic_ first, then," said Duo. "Maybe get a few more stars and import characters. Quatre's idea about sticking with _Random_ is good, but we should go directly to each of the realms first, just in case we're missing something obvious. And the _'Light Trips'_ each have different things - except that _Eden _one. Having a game plan is good, but the main thing is to keep our eyes open and check out each place we're sent to. We could have been walking right past feathers and great trade items without even realizing it. Talking to everyone you meet is a big part of long games, so the more people we meet the better."

Heero nodded and put the item bag in the pocket of his jacket. Duo was reminded of the ring Quatre had given him. Wolfwood's ring. It hadn't changed back into a band like theirs had when they'd entered the game. He had no intention of contacting Quatre unless they had a good reason to, but it worried him that their only means of communicating with the outside was still in 'ring' format. Did that mean it wouldn't connect if he put it on and tried to contact Quatre like he would have with the band?

Another thing that bothered him was Setsuna. She hadn't said a word about their team suddenly being shy a player. Duo wondered if she knew. About who Wolfwood really was. Her role in the game seemed quite limited - she hadn't been able to tell them what a _'Light Trip'_ was until Duo had asked specifically if it would heal them. She seemed to be partial to them, and they knew she was real now so he no longer had to wonder why her smiles seemed so natural. But something was keeping her bound to her role as their 'guide'. So even if she knew, she probably wouldn't say anything.

He glanced at her as he and Heero stepped over to the _Magic_ portal. She smiled back at him. It was that same knowing smile she'd worn when Quatre had asked her a question and she'd remained silent until Duo repeated it, the smile that bordered on a smirk and hinted at how amusing she found them. He suddenly wondered what sort of guides the other teams had gotten when they entered the game. He'd definitely have to ask Quatre about that later.

They stepped through the portal and into a blurry area, shadows of green and brown and blue that might have been a forest setting.

"The task," said Setsuna, "is to-"

There was a sound then, almost like static or an electrical current. The hazy landscape shivered and flickered for a brief second. Duo felt as if he'd been hit by a minor shock, enough to make his heartbeat skip and then pound in his ears. He blinked a second later and found Heero staring at him with the same startled look he had.

Setsuna was silent for a suspicious moment, then she repeated herself as if nothing had happened. "The task is to escort the sick Miko to Mt Taikyoku and see to her recovery."

Duo started to ask about that jolt - like the game was a laser disc with a scratch on it - but the landscape shifted around them as soon as Setsuna finished speaking. The blurry colors resolved themselves into a beaten dirt path cutting through a lush forest beneath a clear midday sky. Duo found himself moving the moment the realm settled into place, and he blinked dazedly at two pointy ears and a horse's mane.

He was on a horse. And he was sitting sideways. On someone's lap. With said someone's arm wrapped around him so a hand rested a little too close to his crotch for comfort.

"Wha...?"

"Duo!"

Duo scrambled out of the embrace just as the person holding him released the hold. He pitched forward and right off the horse. It turned out to be a really tall horse, too, because the landing knocked the wind out of him. That was just as well. If he'd been able to breathe, he might have screamed when he immediately found himself in danger of being trampled by a second horse. Then Heero was beside him and two riders were backing up to stare down at them in shock.

"Heika! What happened?"

Heero, who had found himself walking behind the two riders before Duo's sudden dismount, stepped forward to gain the strangers' attention. The one who'd spoken was a young woman dressed in some sort of extravagant oriental dress, Chinese, perhaps. At least, it looked like a woman, a pretty pale face with a beauty mark on one cheek, graceful figure, and long dark purple hair pulled into loose braid. Something about the voice and the sharp eyes made Heero question the person's gender, but the lovely skirts made it clear that it was supposed to be a female.

"What have you done with Miaka?" the second rider asked.

This one was definitely a man, though his dark brown hair was ridiculously long, almost as bad as Duo's. He was as pretty as the first one, but his deep voice and rigid seat on the horse proclaimed him a nobleman at the very least. Heero didn't react when the man pulled a sword and held it with the point aimed at him and his partner. He was more concerned with the fact that Duo hadn't gotten to his feet yet.

"Tama-chan's gone, too," the first one said, with a sudden look over her shoulder. "What _happened_?"

"Here's the fun part," Duo muttered. He felt like crap again. His face was too warm, and his head had a groggy, queasy sort of feel to it, like it didn't know if it was too light or too heavy. "Sick Miko, Heero. I'm guessing that's me. And what do you want to bet an elixir won't fix it?"

Heero kept an eye on the two strangers, who looked like they were confused enough to wait a moment before getting violent in their search for answers. He sent a sharp glance over Duo, noting his flushed face and wrinkled nose. "We can try."

"Nah," Duo waved him off. "We can wait and find out what's going on first. It's no worse than having a bad cold or something. But you do the talking this time, okay?"

Heero gave a sharp nod that made Duo smirk at him. It was funny how Heero could handle confused and potentially dangerous strangers in such a straightforward manner. He was getting really good at this whole explaining thing. It didn't hurt that Heero had one of those straight faces that made it hard to believe he knew what jokes were, let alone that he would ever try pulling one on someone. The strangers might think he was insane for what he was saying, but they'd never think he was kidding with them.

These two strangers took it especially well. Almost too well. The tall, stately looking man appeared indignant at first. His attitude made Duo want to slap him upside the head, or maybe just dump him in a muddy puddle so he wouldn't look so uptight and important. He was probably royalty in this realm. He had that whole 'Queen of the World' thing going for him. And, yes, Duo did mean queen because, wow, was the guy ever prissy. Even the crossdresser didn't look that full of himself, and Duo was sure he was the prettiest guy he'd ever seen. He'd be willing to bet that one even had Heero fooled.

Their initial reactions aside, the two strangers capitulated a little too quickly. The tall one made a single supercilious wave of his sword, Heero stiffened and told them they were entirely serious, and all of a sudden the two strangers were staring at them in shock. The next moment they were talking to themselves about something called Suzaku and how there was no mistake, no matter how farfetched it sounded. The pretty crossdresser really looked at Duo for the first time and made a quiet comment about how the attraction was still there. Duo blinked and wondered if he was being hit on. Then Heero turned to look at him, and he realized he was missing a lot more than he'd realized.

There was a glowing symbol on Heero's forehead. Duo had no idea what it meant since it looked like one of those Japanese 'word-signs', kanji, maybe. Whatever it was, it must have been the proof that had stopped the strangers in their tracks. Duo stared for a long moment. Then he snickered at Heero's scowling, confused stare.

"Your forehead's glowing, Heero. It's not as bad as that thing Trunks was doing, with the whole 'hair-turning-blonde' thing, but it's pretty noticeable. I guess the guy you replaced here had that mark on him, too. It's cute. Makes you look like a super hero or something."

Heero ran a hand over his forehead and shot another confused look at the two strangers. He didn't notice when the symbol disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared. The strangers had gone quiet again. At least they weren't asking after that Miaka person anymore.

"You believe us, then?" Heero asked the tall man.

"We have to," the woman sighed. "Only a seishi of Suzaku would have that mark."

"Are you certain this will be temporary?" the man frowned sharply at Heero. "Miaka and Tamahome will be returned once you complete this...task?"

"Yes," said Heero. "Our task is to take the sick Miko to the mountain to be healed. Once we've done that, everything here will be returned to the way it would have been without us."

"And I'm the sick one," Duo put in, "so all we have to do is get me to this mountain. You were already on your way there, anyway, right?"

The man gave him a slow look that made Duo oddly uncomfortable. Something was bothering the guy, beyond the fact that his friends had been replaced. But it didn't look like he was planning to share.

The man looked away sharply and addressed Heero again. He didn't so much as glance back at Duo when they finally introduced themselves as Hotohori, _The_ emperor - Duo put the emphasis on _'the'_ himself - and Nuriko, his consort. Duo wasn't sure what sort of role the latter had, but he got the idea this realm was some old fashioned Asian place. That would make him, or _her_, since the emperor didn't seem to know any better, either the guy's fiancé, or one of his harem girls. Duo had to seriously bite his tongue not to say anything.

"It will take two days' travel to reach the mountain," said Hotohori.

He frowned at the path ahead of them, a torn expression crossing his face as if he wanted to say something he really didn't want to say. Nuriko immediately got off his horse and went over to Duo. He tilted his head a little and gave him a strange smile.

"You're not Miaka," he started, "but you're definitely Suzaku no Miko. This 'game' you came through - was it a book? Miaka came from another world, too, but she came through a book."

Duo shook off that amused, tongue-biting, need to smirk. He'd never gotten around to asking Yukimura why he'd chosen to dress as a woman, so there was no reason to wonder about Nuriko. He flashed him a weak smile.

"I guess it could be considered a book," Duo admitted. "It's digital, though. I bet you guys don't have computers here, so I can't really explain it. The game takes us to different worlds and then takes us back out after we complete the task in each one. The people we meet are put into a list so we can get help from them in other tasks later. So I guess it would be like your friend Miaka coming here, then going home and bringing one of you with her if she needs help with something later. You wouldn't miss anything in your own world because you get returned as soon as the task is done."

"Hm," Nuriko smirked. "Miaka would love to get ahold of your book. Hers can't even send her home when she wants it to, let alone bring someone with her. If it could, I know just who she'd take..."

Hotohori stiffened and shot them a look. Nuriko immediately switched from sly to sweet and helpful, bowing at Duo a little and offering a hand to help him up.

"You can take my horse, Suzaku no Miko," Nuriko beamed at Duo. "We can't have you wearing yourself out."

And the emperor wasn't going to offer to double up with him the way he must have been doing with this Miaka person. Duo got the message and sent a quick look at Hotohori. The guy avoided his gaze so quickly he wondered if they hadn't walked into the middle of a love triangle or something. Either way, he didn't feel like walking for the next two days.

"You don't mind?" asked Duo. "I don't know what was wrong with your miko, but I'll probably be able to walk on my own later. I never get sick, so it'll just take me a little while to get used to it. Feels kind of groggy and hot, like I have a fever or something."

Heero reached over to put the back of his hand on Duo's forehead. He ignored the amused look his partner sent him. "Slight fever," he confirmed. "Your temperature is high, but it shouldn't be life threatening."

"Don't tell me you've actually had a cold," Duo smirked. "With your immune system?"

"No," Heero frowned, taking his hand back. "But I did have a slight infection after I self-detonated. Trowa said the symptoms were similar. You should remain inactive until the fever breaks or you'll risk complicating it. A high temperature can destroy brain cells."

Duo stared for a long moment and then broke into choked laughter. It made his head hurt, but it was worth it. "We can't have that," he grinned. "I don't have many brain cells to spare as it is."

An hour later found him riding, with Heero and Nuriko walking alongside him, and the stoic emperor leading the way. The latter hadn't said more than two words to them since they started moving and Duo was fine with that. He'd gotten the impression the guy didn't like him, for more reasons than just because he'd replaced their miko. Nuriko, on the other hand, seemed to get more friendly the further they went. And he was very curious about the game, which seemed to be similar to this book their miko had used to enter their world.

It reminded Duo of Quatre's story about Wolfwood's past. He liked Nuriko and he was sure that if he imported him into later realms, they'd end up being good friends. Would that drive him to consider taking his new friend out of the game if he learned something bad had happened to him? Quatre had chosen men with military backgrounds so they wouldn't get close to the importable people they met. Making friends was dangerous. Duo understood the moral of that story. It was a shame he'd never been as good at heeding warnings as he was at making new friends.

"So she was homesick?" Duo asked Nuriko, with an incredulous expression on his face. "That's it? I'm feeling like crap because she was stressed out and missed her world?"

Nuriko gave a little laugh and nodded. "It might not have been her fault, really. We don't know how the book works, so we thought maybe there was a limit to how long she could stay in our world. That's why we were taking her to the mountain to send her back. The longer she missed her world, the more sick she got."

"Psychosomatic," said Heero. "If she'd already been here that long before getting sick, it's unlikely there was a time limit."

Nuriko flashed him a funny look. "Psy-what?"

Duo grinned over at him. "It means it was all in her head. She was upset and that made her body reflect the emotions she was feeling. We have all sorts of fancy terms for things like that in our world. Take hypochondriacs - they're sick all the time, but it's not because there's something wrong with their bodies. It's because there's something wrong with their heads. People like that don't need a doctor, they need a therapist - someone to talk to who can explain why they're feeling the way they are and how to stop feeling that way."

Nuriko seemed to consider this for a moment. "Miaka _is_ pretty emotional. She's really sensitive to everything around her. But I don't think she'd make herself sick on purpose, not with the way it worried everyone. She's extreme a lot, but she means well..."

"Oh," said Duo, "I didn't mean she got sick on purpose. She was probably as confused and worried as you guys were, on top of feeling so bad it made her sick physically. What I was getting at is that _I'm_ sick because _she_ was feeling bad. So all I have to do is remember that _I'm_ not homesick and the symptoms should go away. Much better than waiting it out, right, Heero?"

Heero sent him a droll stare. "You're still not walking until your temperature goes down."

Duo glowered back at him. "So stubborn."

"You're worse," Heero shrugged.

"Yeah, well, I just don't think it's fair that I get to ride while you two walk, all because of something in someone else's head. We could at least take turns doubling up."

"The pace isn't that fast," said Heero.

Duo sighed and flashed a smile at Nuriko instead. "How about you, Nuriko? Want to ride with me? I don't know much about horses, but this guy seems pretty strong, and he's smart - he follows so well I don't even have to steer him."

He realized he'd said something wrong immediately. Nuriko looked startled and Hotohori stiffened and jerked his reins a little so that his horse gave a snort of protest. Heero looked confused by their reactions, but Duo thought he understood his mistake. This was an old fashioned place and Nuriko was supposed to be a girl. So Duo inviting 'her' to double up was the social equivalent of asking for a quick lay. Or something like that.

Duo winced, but quickly put an innocently confused look on his face. He even managed to smile at Hotohori when the man sent him a sharp insulted look.

"Did I say something wrong?" asked Duo. "It just doesn't seem fair for me to keep the horse all to myself. Yours handled two people, didn't it? Those skirts must be heavy and two days, that's a long walk..."

He glanced over at Nuriko and was relieved to see that startled look replaced with one of slight embarrassment. Embarrassment was much better than Nuriko thinking he'd been hitting on him.

"I'm very strong," Nuriko said quickly. "That's my skill as a Suzaku seishi. I don't mind walking."

"Still," said Duo. "It's not like-"

"Nuriko may ride with me," said Hotohori.

He said it in a cool tone that brooked no arguments. Not that Nuriko looked like he wanted to argue. He looked like he wanted to squeal with delight or maybe shake Duo's hand for being so helpful. In the end, he didn't do either. He dropped his eyes with a soft 'Heika,' and went over to him as if the unexpected offer - or order, considering the way Hotohori had said it - embarrassed him. Duo bit his tongue again and stared hard at the emperor's back, his eyes dancing with mirth. He really wanted to know if the emperor actually believed his pretty little 'consort' was a girl. Not that it was that important at the moment.

Duo grinned down at Heero. "That leaves you and me, then. Think you can climb up here without knocking me off?"

"I've ridden before," said Heero.

He swung himself up behind Duo and took the loose reins, since Duo hadn't bothered touching them. He pulled the horse up so there was a little more space between them and their escorts. Then he dropped his voice and demanded an explanation.

"What was that?" asked Heero.

"It sounded like I was hitting on Nuriko," Duo whispered with a wry grin. "Sort of like using the wrong fork at one of Relena's dinner parties. I don't know if he thinks Nuriko is a girl nor not, but either way I guess he's not used to guys hitting on his 'consort.' What's a consort, anyway? Do you know?"

"It depends on the context," said Heero. "Something below the rank of wife if it's a married man's harem, or possibly a collection of female candidates for marriage in the absence of a suitable match. Is he a boy, then?"

Duo grinned. Heero had noticed, after all. He should have known. "The hair's pretty convincing, but he's definitely a boy."

"His hair isn't any longer than yours," Heero reminded him.

Duo wasn't sure if that was an insult or a compliment. He turned a droll look over his shoulder. "Exactly what are you trying to say there, Heero?"

"That hair length isn't a factor. Even with the make up and dress, you wouldn't be mistaken for a girl."

"Oh," Duo sniffed, "I see. You're saying he's prettier than me."

Heero blinked and leaned subtly away. "No..."

"Too late to take it back," Duo waved, turning to the front again. "Get us alongside them. If the only thing we have to do in this realm is get to the mountain, there's no time limit. I'm feeling better already, so that whole 'homesickness' thing is crap. We can ask them about items, look around a little."

"They don't seem to know anything about the game, though," said Heero. "None of the importable characters have except the ones we met in _Wanderweb_. Asking them about items would be pointless."

"Maybe," Duo shrugged, "but I've been thinking. About the whole idea of this game being real. You know what that means, right? What happens if someone actually beats the game? They have feathers that can bring people back to _life_. This thing can do anything. So maybe if we beat the game everything will be reset. Then, even if we can't find Trowa, he'd be released after the game is beaten. Of course, that would mean Wolfwood would be taken back, too. But what about people who die in the game? If players can find feathers to bring them back, the game can probably do it all on its own. So...if you beat the game, those who died in the game would be brought back, you know?"

Heero frowned thoughtfully. "That can't be the purpose to the game. If a player's main goal is to bring a former player back, there would be no original players. There has to be more to it."

"Point," Duo acknowledged. "Still, it's something to think about. Worth a try, you know? So if one of us dies, and we can't figure out where to find those feathers, the other has to promise to try beating the game. Just in case that will reset everything. I know you said you'd quit if that happened, but it's different now. Even if that's not _the_ point to playing, it's our point now. We're playing to get Trowa back. So if one of us gets it, the other one has even more reason to keep going alone. Right?"

Heero frowned and touched Duo's shoulder so he'd look at him. "Are you asking me if I'd still quit if something happened to you?"

That insulted look was back on Heero's face. Duo didn't mind this time. He smiled over his shoulder and gave a deep nod.

"I'm pretty sure you wouldn't," said Duo, "but I want to hear it, anyway. I already decided I'd play alone if I had to, to get Trowa back, so I'd definitely keep going for you. We weren't playing this to save lives before, but we are now, so..."

"I'd keep going," said Heero.

Duo beamed at him. "It's a promise, then. Don't look so uncomfortable, okay? I'm done with the weird questions. This just lets me enjoy myself without worrying about possibilities. It's like Quatre said. The reason we're doing so well is because we're approaching this game like it's an actual game. As long as you know you can keep trying till you win, there's nothing to worry about."

Heero still looked disgruntled by the topic. He raised an eyebrow at Duo's teasing grin. "Are you finished?"

"Yeah," Duo smirked. "All done making you squirm. For now. See if you can get this horse to walk faster. I want to see who's copping a feel of who up there. It's awfully quiet."

Sadly, there were no feels being copped. Nuriko was sitting sideway in a similar position to the one Duo had been in when they arrived in the realm. He looked like he wanted to sink into the warm embrace and enjoy it, but Hotohori was sitting so regal and stiff that there was an uncomfortable cloud around the pair. Duo sighed and flashed Nuriko a sympathetic smile. He ignored the sidelong look Hotohori shot him.

"So," Duo said, with forced cheer. "You two know anything about items we might be able to use in this game of ours?"

"What kind of items?" asked Nuriko.

"And that's the problem," Duo winced, "we don't know what we're looking for. It would have to be something special or we won't be able to take it with us to the next realm. We have elixirs - these little bottles that heal you when you drink one. And there are cards that do things like fix weapons. Those are the only ones we've found so far."

"I haven't heard of any cards or bottles like that," said Nuriko.

"What about feathers?" asked Heero. "Phoenix feathers? They're said to be able to bring people back to life in the game."

Nuriko and Hotohori exchanged a startled look and Hotohori turned his full regard on Heero.

"We are Suzaku seishi," said Hotohori. "Suzaku is the God of love and rebirth. The phoenix is his symbol, but I have not heard of anyone using feathers for such a purpose. Suzaku grants three wishes to the Miko who summons him. Although the wishes are said to be unlimited, I do not believe he would overturn death itself."

"Miaka was gathering us before she got sick," explained Nuriko. "Once the seven seishi are gathered, the miko summons Suzaku and wishes for the safety and protection of our country. The other two wishes are up to her, but...I don't think she could ask Suzaku to bring someone back to life. There would be legends about it if Suzaku had ever done something like that."

"But he's been summoned before?" asked Duo. "This god of yours?"

"Yes," said Nuriko. "That's how we knew Miaka for what she was. The seishi are drawn to the miko, all so she can gather them and summon Suzaku."

"And the miko changes every time?" Duo pressed. He felt Heero shift behind him and knew he realized where he was going with the questions. Hotohori must have realized it, too, because he stiffened and sent a shuttered look at them.

"Do you intend to attempt summoning Suzaku yourselves?" asked Hotohori.

"We could, couldn't we?" Duo countered. "If we replaced the miko and one of these seishi people, then we could summon him the way they were going to."

Nuriko looked stunned, and possibly amused, by Duo's gall. "You'd still have to gather the other four seishi. Your task was to get to the mountain, right? Won't you mess up if you spend too much time doing other things?"

"There's no time limit," Duo shrugged. "And it's just four people. If they're drawn to the miko, it shouldn't be hard to find them, right?"

"Miaka is the miko," Hotohori said tightly, not looking at Duo.

"But I replaced her," Duo reminded him, in a tone that was just bordering on patronizing. He couldn't help it. If Hotohori wasn't going to come out and explain whatever it was that he had against him, he wasn't going to tiptoe around the guy. "So I'm the miko now."

"You are no miko," said Hotohori.

Nuriko winced and flashed a weak look at the man behind him. "He isn't, but he _is_. I know he's not a _miko_, but the feeling is still there..."

"What do you mean?" frowned Duo.

Heero felt a faint smirk pulling at his face. He leaned forward so he could see Duo's expression when he explained.

"A miko is a priestess," said Heero. "A woman."

"Oh." Duo blinked dumbly for a moment, then glowered at Heero's mocking smirk. He shoved him back a little with his shoulder and sent an annoyed look at Hotohori.

"So I'm not a girl," Duo sniffed, "that doesn't matter. The game put me in this role, so technically I should be able to do anything she could. What, did she have some special powers or something?"

"Not like the seishi," said Nuriko. "But we were drawn to Miaka. That's what the miko does, she draws the seishi to her. And she alone has the power to summon Suzaku after gathering the seishi. You do have that power, or the sign of the ogre wouldn't have appeared when Heero protected you earlier. That's the same way it was with Miaka and Tamahome."

He sent a wary look at Hotohori, who was stoicly looking away from them all. "The miko has always been a girl in the legends," Nuriko said slowly, "but Miaka herself said she was brought here because she read the Book of the Four Gods. Maybe anyone who reads it would be brought here in the role of the miko and it's just chance that it's always been a girl..."

"I'm sure you want Miaka to summon this god," Duo said to Hotohori, in an almost placating tone - that took a lot of effort on his part. "But everything we do while we're here will be reset after we leave. We could summon him and then go to the mountain to finish the task and you'd still remember the way it _really_ happened with Miaka instead. It's not like we'd actually change anything."

Hotohori shot him another of those hard to decipher looks, like he disliked him but didn't at the same time. "Are you asking permission or assistance?"

"Both," said Duo.

And he smiled. His smile seemed to bother Hotohori even more, so he widened it until he was beaming at the man. He was rewarded with an uncomfortable look before the emperor averted his eyes.

"We have the _Shi Jin Ten Chi Sho_ that was entrusted to Konan. It contains hints that may assist in finding the other four seishi," Hotohori said quietly. "We will continue to Mt Taikyoku. I will not support your endeavor by using the scroll without confirmation from Taiitsu-kun."

"So we're going to the mountain either way," Duo muttered.

"Yes," said Hotohori.

"Figures." Another of those disturbed looks flicked to him, and Duo waved a hand. "I'm not going to push. You're worried about having your plans messed up, maybe your whole world. I get it. To the mountain we go! But we better stop somewhere close to water tonight. This whole fever thing is kind of icky..."

Heero snorted behind him, and Duo flashed him a mock glare. He didn't say anything, though. If Heero thought it was funny that he was stuck with a fever that left him all sticky, that was fine. He'd just see how funny it was when he started to smell ripe in an hour or two.

**.-.  
****TBC**

**_Notes:_** Hotohori, Nuriko, and the realm, are from Fushigi Yuugi, the first season. Things will be changed a lot due to Heero and Duo's presence, but there may still be slight spoilers for those who plan to watch the anime. And keep in mind I've never written Hotohori or Nuriko, so I make no promises about characterization.


	19. Considering a side quest

**Author's Notes: **Parts of this chapter are awkward, but I really want to get to future chapters, so I'm pushing it out, anyway. This is what happens when you plan a crossover fic out, let it sit for a year, and then try writing it. You end up using anime you haven't seen in forever and characters you've never written before. Just stick with me, I get better with practice. Promise.

_Warnings:_ Shonen ai, lots of dialogue  
_Pairings:_ 1x2, Nuriko-Hotohori

**The Game**

_Part 19: "Considering a side quest"_

They stopped and set up camp a few hours before nightfall. Heero, who was still locked in 'over-protective' mode, supported the decision. Duo thought it was strange. Hotohori was the one who'd called for them to halt, saying the nearby lake was the only shallow one between them and the mountain. As if he were doing it for Duo's sake, when he should have been so impatient to reach the mountain and get his miko back that he drove them on until it was too dark to see. Duo kept his suspicions to himself for the moment and asked Nuriko to walk with him to the lake.

Heero made as if to follow. Duo stopped him with a sharp look. Being worried was one thing. Duo didn't mind that. Hovering, on the other hand, wasn't something he'd stand for. Besides, someone had to do the dirty work to set up camp. He seriously doubted Hotohori would volunteer for that.

After the pristine hotsprings in Yukimura's realm, the lake looked more like a swamp than a pool to bathe in. Plants were growing out of it at random, not just in the shallows, and the water was a bit browner than Duo cared for. He scrunched his nose and sent Nuriko a reluctant look.

"Think there's snakes in there?" asked Duo. "Or leeches?" His eyes widened at the thought. "Oh, man, I bet there _are_ leeches. He's probably sitting over there with a haughty smirk, just waiting for me to start screaming to get them off me."

Nuriko laughed. "That's the sort of thing I'd have done to Miaka when we first met. I wish I'd thought of it. Of course, that would have just led to fighting over who got to rescue her first..."

He sighed, shook his head, and waved a hand at the water's edge. "See those tracks? That's why the water's muddy. We must have scared something through here when we rode up. It'll settle clean enough if you wait. I don't think anything in there will bother you."

Duo raised an eyebrow at Nuriko's confident tone, as if the fancily dressed boy had experience living in the boondocks. "You do much bathing in swampy lakes? No offense, but you guys don't have a speck of dirt on you. I didn't think nobility would know much about the outdoors."

"You might be surprised," said Nuriko. "But I won't take offence at that compliment. Talent is required to look this good after a day of traveling." He sniffed, patting a hand on his perfect hair. Then he snuck a peek at Duo's expression and laughed. "I'm not joking with you, really. The emperor is perfectly coiffed at all times - keeping up with the standard he sets is very difficult. You wouldn't believe how upsetting it is that Miaka attracts the eyes of every man around her without so much as combing her hair. Only the miko would be tolerated in his presence while _scruffy_."

"Your emperor did strike me as a little vain," Duo admitted. He wanted to add 'snooty with a stick up his ass' but didn't know the Japanese words for that phrase.

Rather than be insulted, Nuriko immediately nodded with an amused, and possibly bitter smile. "He's the most beautiful man in Konan, and he knows it. No one but the legendary miko could ever be perfect enough for him. Which is why he's uncomfortable with you. Don't take it personally. I'm confident Miaka is in love with Tamahome, so he would have been disappointed regardless."

Duo snorted. "So we really did drop into a love triangle. At least he wasn't being all twitchy just because I'm not a girl."

He slunk down against a tree to wait while the silt settled in the shallow water. Nuriko had looked away after his last comment. Duo took the chance to study him. Whatever that vain emperor thought, Duo was convinced Nuriko was the prettiest male he'd seen. He couldn't help but wonder what this Miaka looked like, to be competition for _him_.

"You know," Duo said slowly, "I'm a really honest person. Straight-forward, too. So I'm just going to tell you - I know you're not a girl. Heero knows, too. We won't say a word to your emperor, but you should know so you won't be offended when I take my shirt off in a minute. That way we can keep talking while I wash a little, and you won't get the wrong idea like when I offered to share the horse earlier."

Nuriko flinched, paled, and stood gaping at him. He looked threatened and shocked. Duo winced.

"Come on," Duo said, with a weak smile. "I figured Hotohori didn't know, that's why I didn't say anything sooner. I'm not going to tell him. I don't even like talking to him. It's just, we're friends, so...I wanted to get it out of the way. It doesn't change anything. I knew it the moment I first saw you."

If anything, the more Duo talked, the more disturbed Nuriko looked. Duo noticed that and promptly stopped talking.

"You knew immediately?" Nuriko asked, looking both horrified and maybe annoyed. "It was _that_ noticeable?"

"To me and Heero," Duo said quickly. "I think it's just us. We met a guy who cross-dressed in our first task, too. It seemed really obvious to us, but no one in his world seemed to notice. And you're a lot more...authentic...than he was. You almost had _Heero_ fooled. Heero notices everything."

"Oh," Nuriko said in a small voice. He frowned down at Duo for a long moment, remembering his first impression. Then a slow, sly, smile crept over his face. "Maybe the two of you notice because you're the same."

As in cross-dressers? An image of Heero wearing one of Relena's dress uniforms flashed in front of Duo's eyes. He blinked and sent Nuriko a dumbfounded look. "Huh? What do you mean, the_ same_?"

"You like men," Nuriko shrugged, as if it were obvious.

Duo straightened in denial, "I'm not-" He fumbled when he realized he didn't know the word for gay, and started over. "I don't like men like that," he blurted. "I don't have a problem with it, but I'm not attracted to men any more than I am to women."

Heero was the exception, not the rule. Duo had wondered about himself after that 'lust at first sight of tight black spandex shorts', but he'd come to the conclusion it was a Heero-thing. Either that, or he was bi, because he'd seriously considered dating Hilde for a while there, before he realized they were too similar to work out. And she'd wanted to be his mother rather than his girlfriend. But back to the subject, other than Heero, he couldn't think of a single time he'd been attracted to another guy. Well, there had been one time when he'd caught himself 'noticing' Wufei, but that was one of those things he liked to pretend had never happened. Like the time Dorothy's skirt had blown up and he'd accidentally looked a little longer than necessary.

Nuriko was giving him a droll stare. Duo fidgeted.

"Okay," Duo admitted, "I might be like that a little, with certain guys, but Heero definitely isn't. He doesn't like anyone that way, male of female. Most of the people we know are guys and I spent a long time Heero-watching, I would have noticed if he ever looked at them like that. Not that he really _could_ have even if he wanted to since Wufei would have had a heart attack, Quatre would have gone Zero on him, and Trowa...well, there's an idea, but, yeah, Heero's definitely not. Just tease him about sex and you get a gun to the face. I like girls, too, so it's not like I make a habit of scoping out guys. I might be a little more inclined to notice because I'm not particular about guys versus girls, but..."

He paused for a second, "No, wait, I'm not particular so that would mean I don't really notice one more than the other. So technically I should be _less_ likely to notice if someone in a dress is a guy or a girl, not _more_. Nope, I think it's just a game thing. That and the complete lack of cleavage..."

Nuriko glowered, his arms folded over that completely cleavage-lacking chest of his.

"Yeah," Duo nodded, smiling and satisfied to have figured it out, "it's definitely the flat chest. Yukimura had the same problem. Where we come from women have breasts, big ones. Even guys who cross-dress pad their bras or get implants. If you added a little of that, well, maybe I wouldn't have noticed as quick. You'd just have to make sure they don't end up looking lumpy or crooked. Nothing gives a cross-dresser away like lopsided breasts. If we end up sticking around for a while, I could help you with that, maybe get that guy to pay more attention - he'd never look at your _face_ again, but at least he'd be looking. Though, the emperor would probably notice if you suddenly went all D-cup on him. Maybe if you start with small ones and work your way up...like start with this-"

"No, thank you," Nuriko interrupted. His mouth twitched at the demonstrative way Duo was cupping his hands. "I don't think it would help anything, and I don't see the need."

Duo was starting to warm to the idea of helping the pretty cross-dresser, especially with how torn Nuriko looked between laughing and blushing. "It couldn't hurt," he wheedled. "He's the reason you dress like that, right? He might end up disappointed when he finds out they're not real, but he'll end up with quite a few things to deal with when it comes to that. Speaking of which...what are you going to do when he finds out you're not as female as you act? That's not a crime here, is it?"

"Punishable by death," said Nuriko. He'd stopped smiling, but he didn't look overly concerned. "Any man who stepped foot inside the royal harem would be executed. A man joining under disguise and becoming the favorite is _definitely_ a crime here. But I don't plan to be discovered, and even if I were, they'd have to make an exception for me since I'm a seishi. If I died, they'd have to wait for my reincarnation to summon Suzaku. That could take a very long time."

"Damn," Duo breathed. "All that for some conceited guy and you can't even get close enough for him to figure out you're not a girl. What's the point, just to be near him? Doesn't sound like it's worth it..."

"There are other reasons," Nuriko smiled, "but just being close to Hotohori-sama is worth it. It's very worth it." He clasped his hands under his chin with a dreamy fangirlish sigh. "Very..."

"Yeah," Duo grinned, "I caught that when he had you ride with him earlier. That's one major crush you got there."

"Crush?"

"Obsession," said Duo. "Yeah, more like an obsession. Especially if you're risking your life just to be around him. I have to give you props for that. There's a girl in my world who used to do the same thing with Heero, pretty obsessive for a while there, but she got over it eventually. Silly stalker with a crush. If she'd really been obsessed, she'd have gone your route and pretended to be a pilot to get close to him. That would have been genius, scary, but genius."

Despite the fact that they were both guys being in the open now, Nuriko kept his back turned while Duo washed. Duo didn't mind. It kept things comfortable between them, and he had to admit Nuriko's blush when he turned his back was too honestly cute to pick at. If Nuriko actually lived in a harem, he probably saw more naked women than men, anyway.

Duo kept the silence at bay by telling more about the realms they'd gone through, and his own world. Nuriko was especially interested in the way Relena had stalked Heero, a subject Duo still found infinitely amusing. The piloting and politics surrounding that chase were better left unexplained. Nuriko didn't have machinery in his world, and Duo couldn't seem to explain the concept of a mobile suit with words alone.

"I can't believe she'd give up after all of that," Nuriko complained. "So much effort and determination for nothing. Though, it worked out well for you."

Duo twisted the water out of his shirt with a nod. Then he remembered the nod wouldn't be seen and added, "Definitely. I wouldn't have gotten this far in the game without Heero. I can see where Relena would give up, though. She probably met someone she liked better, or just finally realized Heero would never be interested in her like that."

He shrugged on his coat, a little strange since his skin was still damp, but better than putting on the wet shirt and then the coat. He'd wait till it dried and just sleep in the jacket tonight. Once he was finished he went over to tap Nuriko on the shoulder.

"I'm decent," Duo grinned. "It was really polite of you not to so much as peek."

Nuriko turned with a small smirk. "You're too trusting, almost as bad as Miaka."

"Eh?"

"If I didn't know you're not interested in Hotohori-sama, I could have done all sorts of things to you out here. A little peeking's nothing."

Duo gaped, "You did peek!"

"Of course I did," Nuriko scoffed. "That's nothing. The first time I met Tama, I kissed him right in front of Miaka. I'm not as innocent as you think I am."

"Oh," Duo blinked. "So, um, you really like guys, huh? You aren't gonna, like, hit on me, are you?"

Nuriko gave a catty little smile and prodded Duo in the direction they'd left the other two. "I don't need to, so I won't. I don't really like men, either, just Hotohori-sama. I'm more like your Heero than you."

"What do you mean?" asked Duo.

"You said you liked both men and women, while Heero doesn't like either," Nuriko shrugged. "I never liked anyone till I met Hotohori-sama. So Heero's the same as me. He doesn't like men or women, just you."

Duo snorted, "You're Hotohori-sexual. That's great. Not so sure about Heero, though. He tolerates me more than anyone else, but that's a friend-partner thing."

Nuriko shot him a skeptical look, "Aren't partners the same? If you're loyal to each other, not interested in anyone else, and you care about each other, it's the same thing. You don't have to have sex to be lovers."

That concept made Duo stumble for a second, a wide grin pulling at his face. "You do in my world. That's sort of the definition of lovers - two people who have sex with each other. What kind of lovers don't have sex?"

"Miaka and Tama-chan," said Nuriko, with a knowing smile. "The lovers you and Heero replaced when you came here, Suzaku no Miko."

.-.

Duo found his partner sitting a few feet from a small fire, blankets and bedding set up to the side of him. Nuriko wandered off to the other side of the make-shift camp to murmur quietly to the horses. For some reason the sight brought a smile to Duo's face. He had an idea Nuriko's childhood hadn't been spent sitting prim and proper in some harem palace. Hotohori was nowhere to be seen, probably off somewhere bemoaning the loss of his miko. Duo rolled his eyes and dropped down beside Heero.

"I had an interesting talk with Nuriko," said Duo. "Mostly about Hotohori, you, Miaka, and Relena. There's a lot of parallels going on here. Food for thought."

Heero raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"I'm not sure yet," Duo waved, "I'm still doing comparisons. First, I have a very simple question for you."

Heero waited for it until Duo's sober face started to twitch with a compulsive smirk. His own expression turned wary and a touch annoyed. That was the look Duo wore when he was about to say something he knew would irritate him.

"If it's going to annoy me," Heero scowled, "don't ask."

"Too late," Duo grinned. "It's kind of embarrassing, but I'm too curious not to ask it now." He took a breath and wiped the smile off his face. "Okay, entirely serious now. Are you attracted to me?"

Heero's eyebrow twitched. He couldn't see where that question had come from. Duo didn't even look flirtatious - his bangs were damp and limp, tired, his face still had that sickly mix of flush and pallor, and he'd wrapped up his coat so he might as well have been shapeless. If it were a joke, Duo wasn't playing his part well at all. Heero was sure Duo should have been standing with a hand on his hip, looking all jaunty and cute, when he popped a question like that. The setting was all wrong.

"Why?" asked Heero, his eyes narrow. "Are you asking if I'm gay?"

"No," Duo said quickly, "I don't care if you're gay, straight, or bi. I just want to know if you're attracted to _me_. In general. I'm attracted to you, which-" and he flashed a helpless smile, "you probably figured out already. I just wanted to know if it's mutual."

Heero stared at him silently, confused, suspicious, uncomfortable, and mostly looking thrown. Duo wondered if Heero had really never noticed him looking. He'd told Nuriko that Heero noticed everything. Maybe they both had a spot of selective blindness when it came to each other. Heero dropped his eyes suddenly, and Duo wished he hadn't said anything. Something like this could take their comfortable relationship and turn it inside out.

"Never mind," Duo said quickly, smiling when Heero glanced back at him. "Forget I said anything. I'm attracted to you, yeah, but it's nothing to get all bent out of shape over. Not like I'm gonna jump you either way. I was just curious."

The way Duo admitted that was so careless, so...matter of fact. Heero thought it was the same voice Duo would use to admit he liked explosives. This wasn't like teasing him about his clothing being too tight. He was serious. For some reason that annoyed Heero more than being teased would have. Duo was honestly attracted, had been for some time apparently, and Heero hadn't noticed.

Heero scowled at the fire and thought about the hotsprings. Heat promptly crept up his face. He gritted his teeth and answered, anyway. "I think I'm attracted to you. Sometimes," recently went unsaid, "I think so."

An arm curled over his shoulders immediately, and Heero scowled at the beaming grin Duo gifted him with. He knew what that meant - serious moment over, back to teasing.

"That's great," Duo grinned. "I mean, I was okay with it just being me, but it's a lot easier if I know you have the same problem. Not quite as embarrassing to be crushing on my best friend if he's crushing right back at me, you know?"

Heero glowered faintly, "I'm not crushing on you."

"Sure you're not," said Duo, "of course not. But this makes it nice. Out in the open where we can get used to it, and I don't have to wonder if you're asexual anymore. That's a definite plus. I was attracted to you at first sight. Bet you didn't catch that at all, eh?"

Heero's stunned expression was answer enough.

"Didn't think so," Duo laughed. "That's half the reason I teased you so much about Relena - you're oblivious when it comes to stuff like that."

"Why didn't you say something?" asked Heero. "You joked, but you did that with everyone. You never said anything seriously."

"Ah, I didn't want to mess things up," Duo admitted. "I still don't. But we're...different now. Closer, and I don't have to act like an idiot to get your attention these days. It's really hard to be serious with someone who won't even look at you unless you're poking him with a pencil or some other sharp pointy object. And it's not like we could have done anything back then, even if it had been mutual. I actually agreed with what you told Quatre...about getting too close to someone you risk losing in every battle. It was enough being friends. I wasn't ready for anything else."

Heero frowned at Duo's wistful tone, "And now you are?"

"Maybe," Duo shrugged. "Why not. Like I said, I'm not gonna jump you just because it's mutual. I still value what we have over what we might have eventually. It's just...in the open this way. I think that's right. We shouldn't have to hide something as natural as attraction. Consider it part of the whole best friends package - honesty, sharing, and the occasional flirtatious groping when the mood strikes. Fun friendly stuff."

Now that was either a joke or a threat. Heero twitched faintly, glowering at Duo's wicked grin. Attraction, mutual or not, wasn't enough for him to sit quietly while Duo poked at him. Whatever Duo said about not 'acting the idiot for attention' he still acted the part for the fun of it. Heero knew better than to encourage him.

"It's late," said Heero. He ducked out from under Duo's arm and waved him to the blankets. "Go to sleep."

"What?" Duo pouted. "No friendly groping before bed?"

Heero glowered and gave a two-handed push to get him moving in the right direction. "You're still in the role of hypochondriac. Don't wear yourself out."

Duo bit his tongue and let himself be prodded. "Okay, mommy. But only because you're cute when you're all twitchy."

.-.

They made good time the next day. Duo's 'malady' seemed to have disappeared along with the sweat he washed away the night before. They doubled up again and gave the horses their heads. Heero really did know his way around the animals, so Duo contented himself to sit back and enjoy the ride. It helped that he had his arms wrapped around Heero's waist - he tickled the boy twice and didn't even have to joke about why he'd done it. Heero had drool-worthy abs and Duo wasn't about to pretend he didn't appreciate them. It was part of that whole honest and open thing.

A mountain range was just starting to peak over the canopy when Hotohori called them to a sudden halt. Heero had taken to riding a few lengths behind and to the left, leaving them an open view of the path. Duo gaped when he saw the small thing that had made the emperor stop.

It was a midget, a tiny old woman about two feet tall, floating level with their horses' heads. She purplish gray hair, a pronged golden crown, and ruffles. Lots and lots of ruffles, green on the shoulders, pale blue in the middle, and another layer of green followed by blue at the hem. There was no sign of her feet, and her hands were hidden in the longer blue middle ruffle. Pink ribbons streamed out to either side of her as she floated, bobbing faintly.

Duo thought she looked like a wrinkled old head on top of a wedding cake. Not pretty. Not a bit. Her face reminded him of Tsuberov. Scary. He didn't say anything, just sitting behind Heero and trying not to grimace while Hotohori introduced the woman as Taiitsu-kun. That meant she was the one they'd been heading to see - the 'ruler of the world'. Duo wondered if all gods were as tiny and funny looking as her.

The woman floated over to glower knowingly at Duo, as if she could read his disrespectful thoughts. He had an idea he was lucky he hadn't said them out loud.

"Um, hi," Duo said weakly. "We were just-"

"I've heard everything," Taiitsu-kun interrupted, still glowering at him in particular. "I already know what you're doing here. You plan to wreck the way things naturally should happen. Presumptuous brat, do you seriously plan to summon Suzaku?"

Duo twitched and forced himself not to glower back at her, "Maybe. Once we complete the task everything will revert. We'll only change things while we're here - afterward they'll still happen the way they would have without us. There's no harm in that."

The woman's eyes narrowed sharply, "There's-"

Her words were cut off by another of those strange flickers, everything fuzzing and blurring for a brief second like a skip on a disc. Duo winced and reminded himself to ask Setsuna about that later. Once it passed he blinked at Taiitsu-kun. Her expression was completely different. She didn't pick up as if nothing had happened, the way Setsuna had. Instead, she sniffed and smirked and shook her head as if she'd noticed the distortion just like Duo and Heero had.

"No," Taiitsu-kun murmured, in an amused tone that was almost scary, "no harm in that. What harm could there be? Indeed. If that's the way you want it, be warned that the hints in the _Shi Jin Ten Chi Sho_ won't work for you. Your decision...no...your mere _presence_ here has already begun to affect things. In your favor, I might add. This should be interesting."

"The scroll won't work?" Duo asked warily. That didn't sound like a change in their favor, losing clues that would have led them to the people they were supposed to find.

"No," Taiitsu-kun said in a pleasantly devious tone, "not for you. No magical object will provide hints for you. Not to worry, though. I'm sure you'll find what you're looking for if you head in the right direction. I'd suggest turning for Mt. Reikaku. You're in no hurry, after all. Take your time and...look around a little."

Duo definitely didn't like that smile. Maybe she really was some sort of god, knowing things they didn't about the game. She'd noticed that flicker when Setsuna hadn't. No, he didn't like it at all. Heero didn't either.

"What about the task?" asked Heero.

"Oh, that," Taiitsu-kun simpered, as if she found Heero cute for some reason. "No need to fret about that. If you go ahead to my mountain the task will be complete and you'll be taken out of this world. When you do that is up to you."

Heero gave a quick glance at Duo. He didn't like taking his eyes off the woman. He was certain she was manipulating them, even though she was only encouraging what they'd already considered doing. A side quest. Somehow having her encourage them made him less eager to try it.

"Two wishes," Duo shrugged, knowing what was going through Heero's mind. "Who knows, we might be able to use one of them to bring Trowa out, or at least find out which realm he was taken into. If it gets too complicated we can always quit and finish the task."

He gave Heero a sober look. It was worth the risk. They didn't even know that there _was_ a risk. One suspicious old god-woman wasn't enough reason to give up what might be the most worthwhile side quest available to them.

Heero met his look and nodded. He turned back to the floating old woman and nodded to her as well. "We'll complete the task afterward."

"Such confidence," Taiitsu-kun smiled, her wrinkled face making her eyes glitter. "And so polite, too. Good luck with that one." She shot a knowing look at Duo before floating off a few feet. "I'll see you soon. And remember, children, games are meant to be fun."

_**.-.  
**__**TBC**_


	20. The monk and the bandits

**The Game**

_Part 20: "The monk and the bandits"_

It didn't take long for Duo to decide that this 'Konan' was a very pretty country. The forest was spotted with lush little breaks of flowering plants, bushes and wildlife. The trees were thicker and covered in all sorts of overhanging ivy and twisted brown ropes that might have been complimentary rather than parasitic if a person looked at them the right way. The air seemed more springlike than it had in Yukimura's world, a nice tang that-

"Oh, who am I kidding," Duo muttered under his breath. "I'm not a nature person."

He gave an aggrieved sigh and plucked another pale blue flower from the long grass. Sure, they were pretty little flowers, and maybe a girly miko would have enjoyed wandering away from her party to do something so pointless. She might have actually liked the way the itchy weeds scratched at her clothes and stuck to her shoes. Duo could have done without it. If it weren't for the eyes following his every move, he'd have disappeared into the canopy and went stalking after the shadow instead of waiting for it to come to him.

They'd stopped over at a homely little village the day before to stock up on supplies. Duo suspected the real purpose was a missive Hotohori sent off to the palace before they left. Their trip to the mountain was supposed to have been a short one, and he guessed the emperor would be missed. He was curious that Hotohori decided to send word home instead of going himself. Nuriko said they'd have to return to the palace once they gathered the other four seishi, to summon Suzaku. Hotohori could have gone back to wait for them.

Duo thought it was nice of him to stick around and help their search, but he was still suspicious of the man's motives. He couldn't help it. Despite what Heero liked to think, Duo was naturally suspicious of strangers. He was quick to decide when a person was likable, and rarely wrong about that. The quiet questionable ones bore being watched closer, though. When it came to that type of person, Duo suspected he was even more suspicious than Heero was. Just another way they countered each other. Heero was more suspicious of the friendly ones, so it evened out in the end.

The stalker, or stalkers, had shown up last night. They'd been sleeping around a fire when Duo first got that sensation of being watched. It was an old instinct he'd picked up as a child, one of those things that kept a scruffy little kid from dozing off and being caught in the wrong place. He'd honed it once he became a pilot, making him one of the best at infiltration. Heero noticed it a few hours later. Duo got a kick out of teasing him about that. Heero only thought he slept 'like the dead' because Duo let his guard down when he knew his partner was alert enough for the both of them. In a strange game with unknown adversaries, Duo was a twitchy light sleeper at best.

They left Hotohori and Nuriko to guard the horses while they scouted the area. That had led to a funny moment where Duo honestly wondered who would be guarding whom. Sure, Hotohori had the sword, but Nuriko looked more dangerous with the way he tensed up and glared at the canopy for whatever stranger was threatening them.

Not long after that, Duo had 'wandered away' from Heero. It was classic, really. Heero had never been very good at going undercover in normal situations. He just couldn't hide his sharp eyes and rigid, ready stance. Even when they'd gone undercover as students, Heero had still looked like a soldier. Duo, on the other hand, could look as clueless and helpless as necessary. Not to mention that Heero's cannon looked like a weapon, even if no one in this world would know what kind of weapon it was. Duo's little cylinder didn't look much different from that scroll Hotohori had been carrying around. As if anyone would guess it was a scythe. Not likely.

He hummed and picked at a leafy branch. The bug-specked green looked weird next to those tiny flowers, but that wasn't really the point. Tugging the limb sent a dark brown bird flying away from its nest overhead. Duo turned and watched it in mock surprise. That put those eyes at his back. Perfect chance for the stalker to attack him. Sometime today would be good.

It came with a wisping sound, fast and quiet. Duo turned into the attack without any more pretense. Tiny threads whipped at him, thin with silver glints in the sunlight, and Duo wondered if it were some sort of spider monster. Then the strands cut through his stupid little bouquet and he refined his assumption - they were more like wire than threads. He ducked and activated his scythe just in time to keep a mess of the wires from slicing more than a hairline cut on his coat sleeve. Ouch. He was suddenly glad they'd left the horses behind. That stuff was probably sharp enough to cut through bone in a matter of seconds.

He had one brief glimpse of his attacker, a dark man crouched in a tree and dressed like some black ninja - he immediately thought of Saizo for some reason - and then he was rolling into the underbrush. This was bad. Bad, bad, bad. Definitely not someone worth keeping alive to interrogate. If he'd been the actual miko, the poor girl would have died at the first attack. What was the point of stalking them for the last two days if he were just planning a quick kill?

Duo rushed the tree, not bothering to do more than block the wires. They were trying to wrap him up. If they'd been aiming to stab or make glancing blows, it would have been more difficult. So maybe the guy had planned to take Miaka alive - assuming the original miko was his target. Duo didn't really care at the moment. The man's elevated position was a good one when his target was out in the open. Now it was a really bad one. His scythe cut through the trunk like butter. He couldn't help but be smug about that.

The man must have jumped as the tree shuddered onto its side. Duo didn't get a chance to actually see it. He caught a glimpse through the branches of a black airborne shape, humanoid, ninja-like - and then it was swallowed up by a very thick beam of golden white. Duo winced at the overkill. Heero really wasn't the least bit subtle.

"So much for asking who sent him," Duo griped loudly. He climbed his way over the trunk, getting poked more than once since the branches were still shaking from the sudden fall. Heero met him on the other side.

"It doesn't matter who," said Heero. "Hotohori said only enemies of Konan would attack our party. It wasn't a seishi, so there's no point capturing and questioning him."

"Yeah," Duo sighed, "I know. Still, that's one nasty smell."

He wrinkled his nose at the still smoldering black bits of ninja-like stuff that had managed to escape the brunt of Heero's cannon. Then he plucked a piece of that wire from a bush and showed it to Heero.

"Look at this," said Duo. "Any idea how he used it like that? They don't have advanced weaponry here, so how did he use it so fast? It doesn't feel that sharp now, but I actually thought it was going to cut through the staff for a second there."

Heero accepted the piece with a frown, plucked at it for a moment, and then dropped it. "It could have been magic, given the realm. Or some technique requiring dexterity and speed rather than a mechanical release. It doesn't matter."

"Fine," Duo scoffed, "don't be curious. Just keep in mind the next ninja-spider-guy to attack might go after you instead of me. A gun's not exactly a good defense, you know. And you wanted to be the decoy...hah."

Heero ignored the taunt. His eyes caught on Duo's wrist and he nodded to it. "Were you cut?"

"This?" Duo fingered his sleeve with a pointed frown. "No, but I'm going to be really mad if this ends up unraveling a few worlds down the line. All it takes is one tear and before you know it the whole sleeve's falling apart. Stupid ninja-spider, cutting up my coat."

He kicked one of those smoldering palm-sized lumps. Heero snorted at him.

"Oh, well," Duo sighed. "Mission accomplished. Now for the rest."

Heero nodded, and they both turned to face the direction Duo had been wandering in. There still weren't any suspicious shadows, nothing visible. But that feeling of being watched was as heavy as ever.

"Show yourself," said Heero, his cannon aimed at one spot in particular.

"Yeah," Duo called, "you might as well come out. Heero's a little trigger happy, so he might end up frying the whole forest if you push his patience."

"Now, now, no need for that!" A soft 'pop' sounded and someone dropped into a crouch right in front of them. He didn't seem to mind the way Heero flinched and redirected his cannon at him. "I'm a seishi, too!"

"We sort of guessed as much," said Duo. "That guy didn't seem the type to hang around for days without doing anything - not as quick as he was to go for the kill just now."

The man straightened and nodded in agreement. Duo stared at him, a slow smile pulling at his lips. He was...interesting looking. Tall, dressed in cream and tan, with a dark blue cloak decorated with white crescent shapes dangling over his left shoulder and around his right hip. He was holding a tall staff in one hand with gold rings on the ornamental tip - reminding Duo of Setsuna. His face was shadowed with a wide and tan saucer-shaped hat tied loosely at his neck. Duo had seen hats like that in Yukimura's realm, on farmers in the few fields they'd passed. Somehow he didn't think this guy was a farmer.

"I'm Duo, and this is Heero," Duo waved.

"Chichiri," the man said. He tipped his hat off so it hung on his back and beamed at Heero. "No need to fry me, I don't cook well, no da!"

Duo snorted and shot a look at Heero, who slowly put his cannon away. Then he looked at Chichiri again. The man had the most unusual hair Duo had ever seen, a pale bluish-gray pulled into a tight tail with long bangs that stood up and arced high over his head in a faint curve. Gravity-defying enough to put Hiei's spiky flame-style to shame, Duo thought. His eyes were entirely closed in a cat-like smile. Duo found himself smiling back.

"So you were stalking us?" asked Duo. "You must have known who we were. Why hide?"

"That's a good question," Chichiri hummed, tilting his head thoughtfully. After a moment he straightened and beamed, "I'm not going to answer it right now, no da! I knew who you were and I'm happy to join you, Suzaku no Miko, that's enough, ne?"

Heero's eyes narrowed, but Duo nodded immediately. It was enough. It was fine. So he'd found them instead of the other way around, no problem there. That meant for the bird-summoning they were one down, three to go. Great.

"Sure," Duo smiled. "So are you going to come back to camp with us, or stick to the silent stalking till we find the other seishi?"

"I'll come with," piped Chichiri. "I'm very curious about you. I had no idea the miko was so masculine, no da!"

Duo twitched and glowered faintly. The amused look Heero sent him didn't help. He grumbled under his breath and finally sent his partner an annoyed look in return.

"Stop smirking and tell him about the game," Duo muttered. "Don't you forget who the miko is here, ogre-seishi."

Heero obeyed, but he didn't quite lose his smirk.

.-.

Hotohori took an immediate liking to Chichiri that left Duo baffled. It wasn't anything blatant, but he nodded when they approached as if he'd been expecting one of their stalkers to turn out to be a seishi. That, or he'd been expecting Chichiri in particular. It was the way he acted around him, not as pompous, almost respectful - as respectful as an emperor could get with someone who wasn't another emperor. When Duo finally broke down and asked if they knew each other, Chichiri laughed and Nuriko scoffed at the idea.

"I'm a traveling monk," Chichiri said brightly - everything he said was with that happy cat-eyed smile, "but I've never been to the palace."

They stopped early at what Hotohori claimed was the base of the mountain Taiitsu-kun had told them about. It was Chichiri who suggested they stop there and wait till dark to proceed. He didn't explain why and Hotohori didn't ask until they'd set up camp.

"There have been rumors of unrest in this area," said Hotohori. "It will be more dangerous traveling at night."

"So why are we doing it?" Duo prodded. He didn't understand why Hotohori was so quick to listen to Chichiri's advice. The man was very likable, but he seemed sort of...flighty.

"Taiitsu-kun told you to look here, ne?" Chichiri said. "She's very wise. If there's a seishi here, he's most likely one of the bandits. This mountain used to be riddled with them and the villages weren't afraid, no da. Now it's different, though no one knows why. They've gone bad, no da."

"Bad?" asked Duo, with an eyebrow raised. "Bandits are thieves, right? So weren't they bad to begin with?"

Chichiri pretended to think about that, his brows drawn in a thoughtful way. Then he smiled sadly. "They've gone worse, no da."

Heero frowned at him, "That still doesn't explain why we should approach at night."

"Well, you want to meet them, ne?" asked Chichiri. "If you go now you'll be confronting them and you'll have to fight. If you go at night, you'll be sneaking through their territory and they'll ambush you for spoils, no da!"

Hotohori gave a slow nod. "We will have to confront them one way or another. If we challenge them in open combat we risk injuring the wrong person."

"We'll risk that either way," Nuriko commented. "If they ambush us, we'll have to defend ourselves."

"No worries about that," Chichiri said in a calm and confident tone. "We'll be outnumbered and taken captive."

Even Hotohori twitched at that comment. Duo shot an exasperated look at Heero, who promptly switched into sharp interrogation mode.

"What makes you say that?" asked Heero.

"Oh, the same way I knew where you were headed," Chichiri said, as if he had no idea how suspicious he was making them. "A little neko told me."

Duo turned to stare at Hotohori, again wondering why the emperor was letting a man who claimed to get tips from cats lead their group. The emperor had the grace to look uncomfortable. Heero twitched and glared at Chichiri, and Nuriko laughed.

"You're joking," said Nuriko.

"No," Chichiri said, as if he were surprised and amused they doubted his word. "He led me right to you, no da." He plucked the blue cloak away from his chest and peaked into the folds. "Ne, neko-chan?"

A loud 'nya' answered in the affirmative. Duo choked and gaped at the little head that peeked out of Chichiri's cloak. It really was a cat, a little white cat with brown fur on its forehead and a tight-eyed smile just like Chichiri's. Heero twitched again beside him.

"Cats talk here?" asked Duo.

"Cats don't talk," Nuriko told him quickly, "our world isn't _that_ strange."

Chichiri laughed at them and pet the little cat, who gave another nya before ducking back into the cloak. He smiled at how disgruntled Heero looked, and then handed a small slip of paper to Hotohori. "Neko-chan doesn't talk, but he does deliver messages, no da. He had this tied to his neck."

"What does it say?" asked Heero.

Hotohori frowned for a moment in clear confusion. Then he shook his head and looked up. "It says, 'Houjun, the wing seishi is a fiery bandit on Mt. Reikaku,' and that we will find him if we allow ourselves to be taken captive." He stared at Chichiri in dismay. "...Houjun? Who sent this?"

"I have no idea," Chichiri admitted. "Only Taiitsu-kun knows that I once went by that name. I trained with her, but I haven't had contact with her recently. Anyone she told is trustworthy, that's enough for me."

"So it's that old woman," Duo griped. "She really is manipulating us."

"Maybe," Chichiri smiled. "She's not really supposed to do that sort of thing, but since the miko's a boy now, she might have made an exception, no da."

"She did support them," said Hotohori.

"So you guys think the tip's valid?" asked Duo. "Valid enough we should get ourselves captured? And what's this 'wing' thing?"

"I believe it," Chichiri piped immediately.

Hotohori gave a slow nod as well.

"The 'wing' is a reference to which seishi it is," Chichiri added, tapping a hand on his left knee. "My symbol is here, _sho_ or well."

"It's the same as you," Nuriko said to Heero. "You have Tamahome's symbol _ki _meaning demon, ogre, oni. Every seishi has a unique symbol."

Hotohori mentioned that his scroll contained hints regarding the symbols and particular characteristics of each seishi, things meant to help the miko seek them out. Since the scroll was invalid, Duo supposed sending that little cat and note was Taiitsu-kun's way of providing other tips. Non-magical ones, since she'd specifically said no magical object could provide hints for them. Maybe she wasn't such a horrid meddling old god, after all. Maybe.

.-.

Duo and Chichiri scouted ahead before they set out a few hours after sunset, Chichiri because he'd already proven quite good at sneaking around unseen and Duo because he knew Heero didn't like trusting entirely on someone he'd just met. They both came back with the same news - one blatant path led up the mountain with all sorts of pockets along the way for potential ambushees to hide in. If they approached openly but quietly, they might be mistaken for travelers and taken without too much of a fight.

The path was hard-packed dirt. Heero had the idea to muffle the horses by tying cloths over their hooves. Duo thought that was really clever and cute because he was sure Heero had gotten the idea from a movie or a book - it didn't have any practical application in their own world. They walked the horses and made it all of a few yards before Chichiri stopped them. Duo was really starting to wonder about that guy.

"Change of plans," Chichiri said quietly, beckoning Heero and Duo to get closer. "I don't think we should risk the miko being caught."

Duo scowled at that, but Chichiri continued before he could argue.

"You're not a girl," Chichiri smiled. "They might take one or two men hostage, but in a group with so many they're more likely to take the women, the ones who look rich," clearly he meant Hotohori, "and kill the rest."

"Why didn't you think of that sooner?" asked Duo.

"Well, I wasn't sure if either of you was good enough at sneaking around to get inside without being captured. Now I'm sure you are, and Heero-chan looks perfect for a bodyguard. They won't think anything of a noble couple traveling with a guard at night, no da."

"It sounds like you're just trying to get me alone with you," Duo muttered, staring askance at the monk. "I don't know how trustworthy you are..."

Chichiri leaned back with a hurt look on his face. Duo cracked a smile and waved at him.

"I'm kidding," Duo sighed. "It's a good idea, that old 'don't put all your eggs in one basket' thing. But isn't the point of getting captured so that we'll be taken inside and get a good look at the guys in the gang?"

Heero shook his head, "It's better to have a second group watching over the main group in case things go wrong. They'll be distracted by the captives, giving the infiltration team a chance to learn more."

He didn't mention that he preferred having Duo not be part of the 'captured' party. Duo just had a very bad track record when it came to being captured. He had a tendency to annoy his captors until he was too battered to even escape properly. Heero had seen that firsthand and wasn't eager to see it again. Duo might have gotten a little calmer over the last two years, but he was still as stubborn as ever.

Duo guessed at some of the things Heero chose not to mention. It was the almost wary way Heero looked at him out of the corner of his eye - he was probably biting his tongue so he didn't say anything that would set Duo off on him. Duo glowered but didn't argue. As far as he was concerned, Heero was a far worse captive than he was. Heero had a way of staring down his captors as if he wasn't the least bit worried about being chained or handcuffed or the target of a dozen assault rifles. He couldn't have looked cowed no matter how much he tried.

"Fine," said Duo, "but you better not try anything without me. We'll stick as close as we can and bust you out if there's trouble. Don't go scaring these guys into killing you - remember that you _want _to be captured. No death glares, got it? You're a bodyguard. Bodyguards are helpless once they're all tied up. Don't kick anyone to death just because they forgot to tie your feet."

Nuriko had been listening quietly with Hotohori, but that caught his attention. He raised an eyebrow at Heero, looking rather impressed, "You can kick a person to _death_? Tamahome is a fighter, too, but I don't think he could kill a man with his _feet_."

"Oh, yeah," Duo smirked. "Heero's body is a lethal weapon. You should see what he can do with his fingers."

Nuriko's eyes went wide and appreciative, "Really..."

Hotohori cleared his throat, making Nuriko duck back and hide a grin behind his hand. Heero simply glowered at Duo.

"Well, then," Chichiri said brightly. "Shall we disappear, Miko-san? If we don't start moving soon, our bandit friends will catch all of us right here. We can't go losing all our eggs, no da!"

"Right," said Duo. He waved a hand at Heero with a quick, "Behave yourself - don't do anything I'd do," and ducked into the forest.

.-.

Getting captured was surprisingly easy. Heero didn't like it. The bandits simply surrounded them, ordered them to disarm, and escorted them to their hide-out. They weren't even threatening looking - armed with swords, one with an axe, a few with bows, and that was it. They looked like farmers who'd been recruited to do someone else's dirty work. And Heero had an idea they weren't enjoying themselves as much as they should have been. The man in charge, a young man with dark blue hair and a scar on one cheek, actually winced when they brought Nuriko into the main hall of their hideout and a few men cheered drunkenly. Even if they were only playing villains, their 'leader' should have looked pleased at finding such a pretty, and clearly wealthy, captive.

Heero was pressed by sword-point against the wall, tied up, and left to sit and watch the festivities. They'd taken his cannon, turning and handing it around as if it were some strange toy that might or might not be worth something. And they'd tied his ankles together. Duo would get a laugh out of that. Still, the ropes weren't nearly tight enough. They didn't wrap each of his wrists separately before binding them together behind his back. They didn't even bother tying a rope around his shoulders to keep his arms against his sides. It was almost as if they were hoping he'd escape. That, or they had no idea how easily a flexible pilot could escape such careless restraints.

Hotohori and Nuriko were bound as well, but they didn't stay that way for long. Within a few minutes of entering the stronghold, Heero found himself watching the two play the part of serving wenches to a table full of drunken, rowdy men. He wasn't surprised to find that Nuriko was especially good at it - he had a way of flirting that kept groping hands at bay without annoying the men attached to them. Hotohori, on the other hand, he was disturbing. Heero couldn't even watch him without his eyebrow twitching furiously. The men thought he was a woman, so he was playing along. Heero didn't know what hurt his head more, that Hotohori was being a good sport, or that anyone who heard his voice could mistake him for female.

What bothered him most was that he still didn't know how being captives was supposed to help them find the next seishi. He heard Nuriko making sly little inquiries about tattoos and marks, but all that got them was flashes of hairy skin and poorly done scribbles. If the marks didn't show themselves unless the miko was in danger, just looking wouldn't help at all.

Then there was Duo's absence. The more he thought about it the more he worried. He'd sensed him nearby, somewhere to his left, when they were surrounded earlier. But once they started to move, nothing. And there was Chichiri to deal with, too. They'd all accepted him as a seishi without demanding any proof. Heero had been suspicious, but the way Hotohori had deferred to him made him seem legitimate enough. Now that he thought about it, he couldn't believe how careless he'd been. Duo as well. They were sloppy. And now they were separated. He didn't know whether to wait a while longer and see if anything came of the situation, or to break out now and track down his partner.

.-.

While Heero was getting worried and suspicious, Duo was getting worried and confused. Since they'd separated from the others, Chichiri had been acting...normal. In a weird way. His eyes were still closed, but he didn't look like he was smiling anymore. And he kept turning his head like he was looking over his shoulder even though his eyes were closed. Duo tried asking what was wrong and all he got was a fleeting smile and a 'shushing' hand motion.

They hadn't even entered the stronghold yet. Chichiri made one whispered comment about the others being fine and then led him to a window on the other side of the fort. Duo glanced inside and promptly grimaced.

"You think that's him?" Duo whispered. "How do you know?"

"No," Chichiri whispered back, crouched beneath the sill beside him, "he's not a seishi. But he looks like the boss, doesn't he?"

Duo peeked into the lit room again. The man inside looked like a mottled buddha, flabby and grotesque with a too-large head, sitting lazily on a fluffy pillow in the middle of a little smoky room that Duo just bet smelled sickly sweet. Like an opium dealer, maybe. He certainly didn't look like a fighter capable of leading a gang of deadly bandits. Duo knew the kind - he was the sort who sat back and gave orders while ripping fist-sized chunks off a greasy chicken leg. He dropped back and flashed a disgruntled look at Chichiri.

"Are you sure these guys are bandits and not drug runners?" asked Duo. "That guy doesn't look like he can walk straight, let alone sneak up and ambush people."

"True," Chichiri frowned thoughtfully. "I've passed through Taito before and heard rumors of this group. Their leader was said to be very powerful and intimidating. He doesn't look the part, no da."

"But he does look like a head honcho," Duo shrugged. "Maybe they started the rumors themselves to keep people too afraid to challenge them, so they never actually saw what he looks like. Either way, he'd probably know every one of the guys he has working for him. You want to interrogate him, or get the others first? He looks like he'd blubber if we caught him alone."

"I'm not sure," said Chichiri. "I don't think he'd know who the seishi is. He's probably hiding his identity. A man like that in charge...a seishi would be very valuable as a hostage now that the miko is here."

Duo gaped, "If he's hiding, how are we supposed to find him? What was the point of getting the others captured?"

Chichiri turned a sober look on him, "I don't know. I wouldn't have done it if the note hadn't said to. We have to trust that there's a reason for us to get inside, rather than tracking the seishi down ourselves. Do you trust, Miko-san?"

"Just Duo," Duo frowned, "and I don't know if I trust that hint of yours or not. I don't really like the idea of that old woman manipulating us, when she was against our summoning Suzaku in the first place. She was too quick to change her mind, like she just wanted to watch us fail or something."

"Ah," Chichiri smiled, "then if it'll help, I don't believe Taiitsu-kun sent that note to me. She has her own errand girls for that sort of thing. She wouldn't have sent a little cat."

"Then who-"

Chichiri waved a hand at him, "I'm sure we'll find out soon, no da. In the meantime...let's infiltrate the bandits. If we do it this way, we'll certainly learn more than Heero-chan."

"How do you figure?" Duo frowned. "How are we supposed to infiltrate them - the point was not to get captured with the others, right?"

"I have an idea," Chichiri whispered, with a catty little smile.

_**.-.  
**_**_TBC_**

_Notes:_ I had to rearrange some of my chapters, so...six parts in this mini-arc instead of five. Here's hoping for quick regular updates all the way through!


	21. The easy way

_Author's Notes_: Dialogue-heavy, quick chapter. This was originally supposed to be part of the last chapter, but I wasn't sure how to write it at the time. Turns out it's shorter than I thought and I should have waited and done it in one big part. Oops. On a different note, this is my only fic where a 4-day wait between updates seems like a long time. I find that helplessly amusing. o.o;

**The Game**

_Chapter 21: The easy way_

The young blue-haired man Heero had pegged as the leader of the bandits didn't make a very strong impression on Duo. It was the way he ogled him, looking up and down three times as if the idea that Duo might be an attractive rape target was hard to believe. Duo had a strong urge to punch him in the face. So he wasn't a girl. So he didn't hold a candle to Nuriko's purple-blue hair. So what? He was young and nubile and vulnerable-looking, damn it. Who wouldn't want to rape him? The answer was Kouji, a young dark-blue haired bandit who sputtered and gaped the second his boss told him who he'd chosen for the night.

Duo didn't say a word. The flabby arm wrapped around his shoulders and pressing sweaty against his neck helped him keep quiet. He'd have to breathe to speak and he didn't really want to smell the guy.

Kouji shook his head for the fifth time and waved a hand down the hall. "Are you sure you don't-"

"Yeah," the mottled buddha glowered, "ask me again, why doncha."

Kouji shut his mouth with a quiet click.

His boss snorted at him and slobbered close to Duo's ear. "Caught him in my stuff and I'm gonna make him pay for it, aren't I?"

Duo grimaced and fought the urge to neuter the man with the back of one of his heavy boots. Heero wasn't the only one who could kill with his feet.

The blue-haired teenager finally seemed to register the fact that his heterosexual boss really wasn't interested in either of the women in the other room. He made a quick apology, sent one more doubtful, dumbfounded look at Duo, and finally turned back the way he'd come. His boss snickered damply the second he was out of sight.

"He won't be back tonight," the man said smugly. "Just you and me now."

Duo shuddered and squirmed suddenly. One of those overlarge lips had brushed his ear and snapped the last bit of his control.

"Okay, okay," Duo whimpered, "he's gone. Worked great - now let me go before I puke all over myself."

The hand released him immediately. Duo promptly gagged and flailed a little, scrubbing at every inch that nasty skin had touched him. When he looked up there was a cat-like smile on that flabby, overweight head. It was just as disturbing now as it had been the first time he'd seen it.

"I don't care if it's not real," Duo growled, "it's still gross. Did you have to slobber on me? I need a bath..."

"Ah, I was just playing the part," Chichiri said playfully.

The monk's voice still sounded so wrong coming out of that puffy mouth. Duo grimaced again. "Yeah, I know. I'm still gonna have nightmares. Egh."

He scrubbed the end of his coat against his neck until the skin turned red and sensitive. Then he took a deep breath and forced himself the stop squirming. It had been a good plan. It worked. And Chichiri wasn't going to be touching him again with those meaty palms. No way in hell.

"Okay, all better," Duo sighed. "Any sign of him?"

Chichiri's idea had been a very simple one. Duo had gaped when he first heard it. Then he'd been tempted to hurt him for not mentioning the fact that he could _sense_ the seishi sooner.

According to the monk, all seishi gave off a sign - a stronger lifeforce than normal people, Chichiri said, almost a different color - and he could feel it from a mile away. Anyone could feel it if he were taught to and Chichiri had been taught a lot during his time with Taiitsu-kun. Chichiri hadn't mentioned it because, A, no one had asked, and B, the note had said they needed to be taken captive. Chichiri didn't know _why_ the captive part was necessary, but he did believe that note was legitimate enough to go along with. His plan was to get inside, pretend they were all captive since that seemed so important to whoever had written the note, and then wait for the wing seishi to show himself.

According to Chichiri, the seishi had been lurking around the stronghold since they first arrived, about the time he'd decided it might be better if they didn't _all _get captured. Now that the captured part was fulfilled, all they had to do was wait and see what the wing guy was after. Then they'd take the bait away from him and use it as a bargaining tool.

If that didn't work, Duo could go with his own plan - brain the guy and force him to come along until they did the bird-summoning. He wasn't Miaka, after all. If he didn't attract the guy enough for him to follow willingly, with that supposed 'allure' the miko had to draw seishi in, then he had no problem forcing him into it.

They'd confronted the flabby boss by having Duo enter the window and surprise him. Then Chichiri had done something to that big hat of his and tossed it on the man's head. He'd disappeared into it. Duo hadn't been expecting that, but Chichiri swore the guy was okay, just..._absent_ for the moment. He'd bring him back out later. Duo had just stared at the smiling cat-eyed monk, thinking it was a very good thing Chichiri was on their side.

Kouji was something they hadn't planned on. The bandit had shown up right after Chichiri did his 'disappearing crime boss' trick. Chichiri had come up with the disguise plan all on his lonesome. He'd made a quick gesture like he was doing a one-handed prayer, puffed a cloud of smoke around him, and turned into the fat boss. Duo was so shocked he didn't even have to pretend to be alarmed when the disgusting fake grabbed him and drug him into the hall to greet whoever was knocking. Chichiri hadn't just copied the man's looks, he'd copied his voice and smell and that icky feel of being touched by slugs.

And that stubborn, insulting Kouji had stood there gaping so long Duo knew he'd never scrub clean enough to get that slimy feeling off his neck.

Duo grimaced again and would have started rubbing his neck again if Chichiri, still in disgusting bandit-boss form, hadn't tapped him on the shoulder. He looked around with a scowl. The cat-eyed expression was still there, like a Chichiri mask on the boss' face, as the man jerked his head toward the boss' door.

A high yowling cry sounded in the room, followed by a thump and several loud grumbled curses. Duo shoved the door open in time to be met by a little white cat scurrying backwards and dragging a long silver fan in its mouth. He gave one look - the cat went straight to Chichiri, recognizing him despite the accuracy of his disguise - and then turned to smirk at the startled man in the room. The guy must have come in the same window they had. Just like Chichiri had predicted he would.

"Good call," Duo said over his shoulder. "Now for the bargaining-slash-kidnaping part."

"-the hell?" the seishi blurted, from where he'd fallen on that pillowy throne in his chase of the cat and fan. He straightened up when he saw the large man enter the room behind Duo. All thoughts of intelligent little thieving cats went right out of his head, replaced by disgust and fury.

The note had called him fiery, Duo recalled. He could see it now. The guy looked a little older than him, maybe eighteen at most. He had fluffy orangish red hair and smoldering orange eyes. He was dressed in a long dark blue coat that closed like a robe, leaving glimpses of pale pants tucked into high boots. He was quick, too. Duo barely took one step and the guy had already drawn a sheaf of little papers from his coat and was backing toward the window. Duo waved a hand at him.

"Don't even think about it," Duo called. "I'm Suzaku no Miko, you're one of my seishi, so you're coming with me. Running away is not an option."

"...the hell?" the seishi blurted again, his face twisted in surprise and disbelief.

Duo nodded firmly and held a hand behind him. "Give me that thing he's after." The fan was placed in his hand, heavy and thick and useless, as far as Duo could tell. He waved it in front of him and smirked when the orange-haired teenager's eyes latched onto it. "You want this, right? I'll give it to you if you're good."

The guy stared at him, flicking a dumbstruck look from Duo to Chichiri, and another quiet mutter of 'the hell?' filled the room. Then a heavy thud sounded from somewhere down the hall and Duo tossed a quick look over his shoulder. It hadn't _sounded_ like a beam cannon, but he was sure it was Heero-related.

"Why don't you go fetch the guys," Duo said to Chichiri. "I have this."

"You sure?" Chichiri asked. The sound of his voice coming from that body drew yet another 'the hell' from the fiery seishi, a little higher pitched this time.

"Sure," said Duo. "If he gets away you can track him down pretty quick, right? No problems. The note only said we had to get captured _once_. If he runs, we'll just do things the easy way."

"I'll be right back, then," Chichiri said brightly.

Duo let him go and waved that heavy fan again. Orange eyes followed it. Duo grinned. It was like holding meat over a confused puppy. Cute!

.-.

In the end it wasn't Heero who lost his patience first, but Nuriko. One of the bandits was a little more inebriated than his friends. He'd been coming on to Hotohori from the moment they arrived. Finally he got too close and pressed a sloppy, love-sick kiss on the emperor's face. Hotohori stiffened and snapped his head to the side quickly enough for it to land on his cheek. That was still Nuriko's breaking point.

Heero had been watching them closely. He'd seen the pawing turn into groping, and then into a clumsy hug. Then Nuriko had stiffened. Then the kiss. A moment later the drunken man was lying with his head and shoulders buried in crater in the wall. Nuriko stood with his fist raised after that single furious blow, Hotohori rubbing his damp face, and the drunken happiness came to a standstill around them. Heero immediately twisted his hands free and ripped the ropes off his ankles. The men were in shock for the moment, but that wouldn't last. Heero was shocked as well that such ridiculous strength could come from such a feminine little arm, but he pushed it off as quickly as it came. Nuriko _had_ said strength was his seishi specialty.

Hotohori dropped the damp handkerchief he'd wiped his cheek with, and sent a faintly disapproving look at Nuriko for that overreaction. He needn't have sent the man's head _all the way _through the wall. A simple reprimand for being too exuberant toward his natural object of affection would have sufficed. He sighed, held his tongue, and turned to accept his sword from Heero. If he was surprised to see Heero free and armed, he gave no sign of it.

"All of you stay where you are," Heero said to the drunken men, waving his cannon over the lot of them.

He might as well have saved his breath. The ones sober enough to understand what was happening were still staring in shock, either at the back-half of the man in the wall, or at Nuriko's prettily angry face. One man gave a drunken cry of wonder at how sexy a strong woman was. This earned him a dark look from Hotohori, though Nuriko didn't seem to mind the comment. Heero frowned and wondered if the men would notice if they just turned and walked out the door.

That was when a disgustingly large man entered the room. Heero rounded on him, and the shocked men at the table woke up enough to look chagrined over the fact that all three prisoners were untied, two of them armed, one of them strong enough not to _need_ arms. Heero took that to mean the fat man was another of their leaders. He took two steps toward him.

"Oh," the fat man blinked, with piggy little eyes. "You're already loose." He caught sight of the man in the wall and winced, "That must have hurt. Well, Duo's with the seishi now. Follow me."

Heero blinked and stared in surprise. He knew that voice.

"Was that Chichiri's cat on his shoulder?" asked Nuriko.

"Yes," said Hotohori.

Heero shot a glance back at the drunken men, all of whom looked as confused as them. Then he shook it off and followed the stranger with the familiar voice. Weirder things had happened in the game, Heero decided. It was easier if he just went with the flow. Hotohori and Nuriko were a few steps behind him.

.-.

Their escape was as anticlimactic as their capture had been. Duo didn't actually get to see most of it since he stuck close to their captive.

Chichiri and Hotohori had rescued their gear and horses somehow, catching two extras while they were at it. Duo wondered who had decided on that and figured it must have been Chichiri; Hotohori just didn't seem the sort who could stoop low enough to steal without breaking his rigid back. Nuriko had hogtied the feisty wing bandit-seishi, gagging him when it became clear he had more than a two-word vocabulary, all of them curses. Duo thought it was chemistry at first sight and hoped Nuriko noticed how annoyed Hotohori was at the attention being paid to the squirming bandit. Heero had taken point to watch for resistance that never came, and they left the mountain as quickly as they could.

When later asked why no one tried to stop them, the gagged seishi garbled something unintelligible until he was ungagged and then told them to fuck themselves. They didn't talk to him again until after he'd had a good day's travel like a roll of rugs over the back of a horse to think things over.

Some thirty hours and a little alcohol later found him a rather likable fellow, once they got past the whole 'give me that fan so I can light you on fire with it' stage. His name was Tasuki. He didn't want to be a seishi. He understood that what he wanted didn't matter, but he wasn't happy about it. He wasn't stupid, despite his potty mouth, and he showed surprisingly healthy fear when he learned that Hotohori was _The_ Emperor, as Duo liked to call him. He seemed to get along quite well with Nuriko, who asked for a demonstration of the 'fire-starting fan', nearly got his pretty hair burned off, and promptly retaliated with an uppercut that left them both griping at each other for an hour of friendly threats and taunts. He was wary of Chichiri, who could make even really big people disappear, and could 'become' anyone he wanted, and whose only explanation for being able to do those things was a catty smile and a chirp of 'it's magic, no da!'

Duo didn't know what Tasuki thought of him and Heero. He was entertaining, brash and blunt and quick to crack jokes. But he looked at him funny sometimes, similar to how Hotohori still sometimes looked at him when he didn't think he'd notice. And he stared openly at Heero, waiting for him to snap and kill them all without any expression ever crossing his face because, as Tasuki put it, 'you bet your ass anyone with a face that blank is just rarin to crack.'

Heero didn't have much to say to him, but he had quite a bit to say to Chichiri. The moment they were sure none of the bandits were following, and their prisoner wouldn't be escaping, he had the others wait while he drug the curious monk off the path for a little heart-to-heart. Duo went with them, half to make sure Heero didn't do anything excessive, half because he wanted straight answers, too.

It was a strange meeting. Chichiri sat down in the grass of the little semi-clearing Heero had chosen and smiled that peaceful little cat-eyed smile of his while Heero and Duo stood frowning down at him. Heero's first question did nothing more than make him tilt his head.

"Why didn't you tell us you could sense him?" asked Heero.

Chichiri looked curious, almost as if he hadn't expected anyone to complain if he chose to keep his own counsel. After a while, he posed a question in return, "Do you follow a higher order?"

Heero's eyes narrowed, but Duo knew what he was asking and answered for the both of them.

"No," said Duo. "Neither of us is religious." He had been once, but that was a long time ago before he lost the last bit of his childhood innocence.

"I am," Chichiri smiled, as if that explained everything. "Despite your game interfering with things, I'm still a monk, and a seishi, no da. A servant of Suzaku. So are the two of you now. The miko draws the seishi to her, she doesn't have one seishi track the rest of them down for her. I wanted to interfere as little as possible."

"But you did interfere," said Heero. "The note, stopping Duo from being one of the captives-"

"Spotting Tasuki," Duo put in.

Chichiri looked bashful, scratching a finger on his cheek. "I didn't plan to, I just couldn't willfully endanger Suzaku no miko. As for the note, I don't know who sent it, but I'm sure it was trustworthy, no da."

"Why?" asked Heero. "What makes you so sure?"

"Just be straight with us," said Duo. "Taiitsu-kun knew we were playing a game and she supported us. She was creepy as hell about supporting us, but she did. If your Suzaku doesn't want us to succeed, he won't come when we try to summon him, right? So it doesn't matter if we don't do things the way the miko usually does. You're helpful. You're our little homing device. Why not be a happy willing little homing device?"

Heero turned to give Duo a look that practically screamed, 'not helpful'. Duo ignored it.

"Think about it," Duo shrugged. "We can't tie you up like Tasuki over there, since you've probably got a dozen other magic tricks up that hat of yours." Literally, Duo was sure. "But you know you'll help if it comes to that, and now_ we know_ you will - so let's just cut the whole 'secret serving the god's plan thing' and get the job done. We have two more seishi. You know where they are. Talk and this'll all be over with no harm done to anyone."

"But I don't know where they are," Chichiri said, with that guileless smile of his. "I only sensed Tasuki because we were so close to him, no da. I can't find a specific person over a long distance if we've never met before, no matter how strong his lifeforce is."

That sounded reasonable. Duo didn't quite buy it, though. "You'll know when you get within a certain range of him, right? The next seishi? You'll sense him out just like you did this time. All we're saying is, the second you sense another one of them, let us know. I doubt the next one will be as fussy as Tasuki about the whole seishi thing, so you just give us a heads up and maybe, you know, point us in the right direction. What do you say?"

"That _would_ make your task considerably easier," said Chichiri. His tone was agreeable, but that blank smile remained on his face. "Tell me, Heero, do you do this with all of the tasks you're assigned in this game of yours?"

Heero was surprised to have the question directed at him, especially since Duo had quickly taken over his interrogation. He frowned back at that unchanging smile. "Do what?"

"Do things the easy way. Have other people do the work for you." Chichiri sighed and waved a hand at Duo, who was starting to look pinched around the face, angry, maybe. "I'm not judging you, really, I just doubt that's the purpose of your game. Easier, of course, but not as much fun if you remove the challenge, and you did say Taiitsu-kun told you games were meant to be fun. Half the point is the learning experience, no da. You won't get that if you rush your way through the quickest route."

"We're in a hurry," Heero said evenly. "Not so much of a hurry that we can't take time out for chances like this, but too much to waste time chasing shadows when the answer is right in front of us."

"We don't know much about the game," said Duo, still looking like he could have done without the lecture. "But right now finding out about the game isn't our main goal. We're trying to help a friend. If we summon Suzaku, we can use those wishes to help us do that. Sure, I like a challenge as much as the next guy, and half the reason we've done so well in the game is because we were playing it like a game - but it's still serious. Too serious to go wasting time getting captured when we could have just nabbed the guy and been off looking for the next one."

"I see," Chichiri sighed.

"Why were you so sure of that note?" Heero asked, getting back to his original line of questioning. "You know who sent it."

Duo shot Heero a startled look. Chichiri just winced.

"No, no," Chichiri sighed sadly. "I may have kept secrets, but I didn't _lie_. I don't know who sent it, no da. I don't believe it's Taiitsu-kun, and I _do_ believe it's a friend of the miko, but it's no one I've ever met before. I would have recognized the feeling left on it if it were someone I knew."

"So why the trust?" asked Duo, remembering how the monk had phrased it. "Why do you trust if you don't know?"

Chichiri climbed to his feet and waved a hand, directing their attention to the little curious and wary eyes that had been watching their entire conversation. "Because of him. He thinks he knows me and yet I've never laid eyes on him before, no da. Humans lie, Miko-san, even seishi can lie. Animals never do."

Duo turned and gaped, "The _cat_?"

"Yes," Chichiri said brightly. "It's that simple, no da. And if I'd told you from the start that I thought we should follow an anonymous note all because I had faith in a little cat, would you have listened to another word I had to say?" He flashed a laughing smile at the cat in question. "Humans are very untrusting creatures, ne, Neko-chan?"

The cat let out an indolent rowl and smiled back at him. Chichiri went over to pick him up. Then he turned back with his usual smile.

"His owner will probably come looking for him soon, no da," said Chichiri. "If he's a seishi, I'll tell you right away, Miko-san. Just remember that sometimes it's best to let things run their natural course. I'm sure even Tasuki-chan would have been drawn to you if you'd given him a chance. Even if you're in a hurry, forcing things unnecessarily is a bad habit to get into, no da."

Duo's eyebrow twitched as he watched him go. It was the playful lecturing tone, combined with the idea that they'd actually let themselves be captured because of a cat. He glowered and wondered if it wouldn't have been better not to ask at all.

"Come on," said Heero. He prodded Duo's shoulder, moving him to follow Chichiri back to where they'd left the others.

Duo gave him a surprised look. "That's it?"

"Something's wrong with this realm," said Heero. "The skips, the way that god-woman changed her mind, the note. But _he's_ not at the center of it. He might have an idea, but he doesn't _know_ any more than we do."

"He's funny, isn't he," Duo sighed. "I can't figure out if I like him or not."

Heero stared at him for a moment, a slow smile crossing his face. "You do."

"Yeah," Duo sighed again, his shoulders slumping this time, "probably." He glowered faintly and let Heero prod him into motion. "I guess I sort of like him...but I'm begrudging every second of it. He's like the playful older brother I never really wanted. I can't decide if he reminds me of Quatre or Treize and that's just creepy..."

"Zechs," Heero said immediately. "Maybe a little of Wufei."

Duo laughed, "Definitely Wufei, with the whole lecturing thing. Zechs...I'll have to take your word for that one. I guess as long as there's some Quatre in there, too, it's fine."

Heero didn't say anything. He was thinking of Quatre's eager, seemingly honest expression when he'd first greeted them in the satellite and sent them into the game without a word of warning. He hadn't seen any of that in Chichiri. If he had, he'd never have let Duo go off alone with him, seishi or not.

_**.-.  
**__**TBC**_

_Notes:_ Things will be explained in the next chapter, sorry for all the confusion. I thought I'd foreshadowed this arc enough for people to guess what's going weird, but it turns out my foreshadowing sucks.


End file.
